Fall 2018 TV Ratings Predictions: ‘Last Man Standing’ ‘Charmed’ ‘SVU’ | TVLine

fall 2018 ratings the gifted

Image Credit: 'The Gifted' (Courtesy of Fox)

The Gifted (Fox) vs. The Flash (CW)

Tuesdays at 8 pm

Will The Gifted prove less so once it goes up against The CW’s No. 1 show? Or will the two series eat into each other’s already niche audiences? Airing Mondays at 9/8c last fall, The Gifted averaged just over a 1.0 rating, and dipped beneath that benchmark four out of its last six airings. The Flash, meanwhile, closed out Season 4 down three-tenths year-to-year (0.8 vs. 1.1). What’s more, Barry Allen has never been pitted against fellow comic book lore.

PREDICTION: Each superhero series will dip a tenth versus their previous average.
fall 2018 ratings the rookie

Image Credit: 'The Rookie' (Courtesy of ABC)

The Rookie (ABC) vs. New Amsterdam (NBC)

Tuesdays at 10 pm

Will This Is Us‘ audience stick around and help steer the Ryan Eggold medical drama towards a first-place finish in its time slot? That was typically the case for Chicago Med, but that was a third-season show with a built-in audience (and even so, its retention was far from great). Nathan Fillion’s Castle follow-up has the potential to surprise in a famously perilous time slot for ABC, and in turn provide some competition for the Peacock.

PREDICTION: The Rookie, with its distinct hook, will easily trump the comparatively generic medical drama.
fall 2018 ratings charmed

Image Credit: 'Charmed' (Courtesy of The CW)

The CW’s ‘Super Sunday’ vs. Everyone Else

Sundays from 8-10 pm

It’s been nine years since The CW tried to plant a flag on Sunday nights. This fall, the network will give it another go with Supergirl and Charmed, a female-skewing lineup probably seen as the network’s best chance at not completely flatlining opposite Fox’s (mostly) animated comedy block geared towards young males, and the ratings behemoth that is NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The CW probably isn’t too concerned about CBS, whose lineup typically consists of older-skewing fare, or ABC, which is again going all-in on reality-TV, with the one-two punch of Dancing With the Stars: Juniors and Shark Tank.

PREDICTION: Welcome to The CW’s second-lowest rated night!
fall 2018 ratings last man standing

Image Credit: 'Last Man Standing' (Courtesy of Fox)

The New ‘TGIF’ (ABC) vs. the ‘New’ Last Man Standing (Fox)

Fridays from 8-9 pm

The resurrection of America’s second-favorite Tim Allen sitcom (LMS has never been a Home Improvement-sized hit) is likely to do well for Fox — but will it, paired with The Cool Kids of a retirement home, do well enough to crater ABC’s attempt at a competing sitcom block? Veterans Fresh Off the Boat and Speechless may be critical darlings, but they’re also the network’s lowest-rated comedies.

PREDICTION: It’s a draw, as Last Man Standing (which last averaged a 1.15 rating) is offset by a lukewarm Cool Kids.
fall 2018 ratings magnum pi

Image Credit: 'Magnum P.I.' (Courtesy of CBS)

Magnum P.I. (CBS) vs. 9-1-1 (Fox)

Mondays at 9 pm

Not only will TV’s new Magnum not have the benefit of a proven lead-in (or a mustache), it’ll have to hold its own against the fellow action-oriented, Ryan Murphy procedural, which was last season’s No. 2 new drama. Factor in veteran competitors The Voice and Dancing With the Stars, and it’s not certain that Magnum‘s I.P. will be enough to keep the island drama afloat.

PREDICTION: On a new night with double-barreled reality competition, 9-1-1 will slip two tenths from its freshman run to hover around a 1.4, while Magnum — leading out of two brand-new comedies — will fight for that Hawaii 1.0.
fall 2018 ratings a million little things

Image Credit: 'A Million Little Things' (Courtesy of ABC)

A Million Little Things (ABC) vs. Criminal Minds (CBS) and Chicago P.D. (NBC)

Wednesdays at 10 pm

It’ll be no small feat if Designated Survivor‘s successor is able to hold its own. The new ensemble drama — with no big star or clear hook (This Is Us… Puzzling Over a Suicide?) — will be going up against two veteran procedurals, and while Criminal Minds is not the ratings behemoth it once was, P.D. could provide stiff competition, especially if it seeks an uptick in overall viewership as the closer for the Peacock’s new #OneChicago block.

PREDICTION: A Million Little Things will improve slightly on Designated Survivor‘s sophomore run (which averaged a 0.7) and duke it out with Criminal Minds for second place.
fall 2018 ratings the good place

Image Credit: 'The Good Place' (Courtesy of NBC)

CBS and NBC comedies vs. Fox’s Thursday Night Football

Thursdays from 8-10 pm

For the past two years, CBS and NBC have shared the Thursday Night Football package. In doing so, CBS’ Thursday lineup didn’t debut until late October, giving the Peacock’s comedy block a fighting chance (or at the very least, a head start). But with Fox serving as the new home of Thursday’s pigskin matches, NBC’s modestly rated fare — including Superstore, The Good Place and Will & Grace — will have to hold its own opposite both America’s favorite game and Sheldons Young and old.

PREDICTION: CBS’ sitcom slate will hold pretty steady, while NBC’s will dip a precious tenth across the board.
fall 2018 ratings law and order svu

Image Credit: 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit' (Courtesy of NBC)

Law & Order: SVU (NBC) vs. S.W.A.T. (CBS) and HTGAWM (ABC)

Thursdays at 10 pm

The Mariska Hargitay-led procedural is unspooling its landmark 20th season on a new night, where it could very well outperform its time slot rivals… or lose a portion of its Wednesday following. Working in its favor is that the competition isn’t necessarily steep: CBS’ S.W.A.T. reboot proved itself a stable, but modestly rated, performer during its freshman run, while ABC’s legal-themed #TGIT drama is coming off its least-watched season yet.

PREDICTION: The relocated SVU will lose the eyeballs of some confused viewers, but still easily top its time slot.

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