And then there were (still) 10.
As the 2022-23 broadcast TV season takes its last gasp of air, a rather large number of series are still awaiting word of their fate. (TVLine’s Renewal Scorecard has all the latest pickup/cancellation buzz.) The uptick in “bubble show stragglers” can largely be blamed on the current writers’ strike. As an unnamed senior executive at one of the Big 5 broadcast nets recently conceded to TVLine, “The duration of the strike will ultimately determine what our programming needs are for next season. We’re trying to keep as much flexibility as possible.”
But the uncertainty can only drag on for so long, given that the studios’ contractual hold on the cast members from the 10 in-limbo shows will begin expiring as early as next month.
Scroll down for a complete rundown of the 10 series hovering between life and death at ABC, Fox, NBC and The CW — which program are you pulling for the most (and least)? Oh, and an important housekeeping note: This list focuses solely on scripted programming at the broadcast networks. In other words, ABC’s TBD game show Holey Moley is not represented here (but rest assured TVLine will alert you as soon as decisions on it is made).
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All American: Homecoming (The CW)
Image Credit: Courtesy of The CW With the mothership series scoring a renewal earlier this year, a Season 3 green light for the All American spinoff — which wrapped Season 2 on March 27 — would allow The CW to keep its popular AA franchise in tact. At a press conference last week to outline the network’s new, acquisition-heavy fall lineup (which you can view here), The CW’s President of Entertainment, Brad Schwartz, said a decision on All: American Homecoming (as well as fellow bubble shows Gotham Knights and Superman & Lois; scroll down for more on the DC duo) will be made “sooner [rather] than later.”
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American Auto (NBC)
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC In Season 2, American Auto averaged 2.3 million total viewers and a 0.3 demo rating (with Live+7 playback), down 15 and 40 percent from its freshman numbers (2.7 mil/0.5). Out of the five sitcoms that NBC aired this past TV season, it ranked No. 3 in audience and tied for third in the demo (besting fellow bubble comedy Grand Crew). Despite the anemic ratings, Auto is arguably NBC’s most acclaimed comedy. We’re betting that the goodwill surrounding the show, both externally and within NBC, will ultimately lead to a renewal.
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Grand Crew (NBC)
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC Grand Crew ‘s second season, which concluded on April 28, averaged 1.3 million total viewers and a 0.2 demo rating, down sharply from its freshman numbers. Out of all of the programs that NBC has aired this TV season, it drew the smallest audience and tied College Bowl and Dateline Mystery for the lowest demo rating. Suffice it to say we’re not optimistic about the show’s renewal chances.
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Gotham Knights (The CW)
Image Credit: Duella, Turner, Harper and Cullen (The CW) The CW’s newest comic book offering has two things going for it: It’s less expensive to produce than fellow DC bubble series Superman & Lois, and network boss Brad Schwartz is said to be a big fan. Whether those two things are strong enough to outweigh the show’s extremely tepid ratings remains to be seen. Season to date, Gotham Knights is averaging 770,000 total viewers and a 0.1 demo rating (with Live+7 playback). Out of the 13 dramas that The CW has aired this TV season, it ranks No. 8 in total audience and is in an eight-way tie for third (or, last) in the demo.
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Home Economics (ABC)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC The good news: Ratings for the ensemble sitcom’s third season held steady. The worrisome news: ABC had the option to expand Season 3 from 13 to a full season’s 22 episodes but declined to exercise it. EP Michael Colton remains hopeful. “We’re planning to come back,” he recently told TVLine. “We have a lot more stories to tell.”
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HouseBroken (Fox)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox Unless ratings for the animated canine comedy pick up — its most recent episode this past Sunday drew just 540K viewers — we’re guessing the show will be quietly dispatched to a farm upstate following its Aug 13 finale.
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The Rookie: Feds (ABC)
Image Credit: Courtesy of ABC All indications are that the Niecy Nash-fronted Rookie offshoot remains a safe bet for renewal, despite its mediocre Season 1 ratings performance. (Out of the 10 drama series that ABC aired this season, it only outdrew A Million Little Things and The Company You Keep, neither of which will be back next season.) The spinoff’s prospects, however, could dim should the writers’ strike stretch into the summer.
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Superman & Lois (The CW)
Image Credit: Courtesy of The CW The CW’s top exec, Brad Schwartz, seemed to be preparing reporters for cancellation when he acknowledged last week that while Superman & Lois remains creatively “very strong,” it’s “expensive [and] doesn’t make money for us.” What’s more, Schwartz noted, “We don’t have the rights to the prior seasons. You need to have a library [for people to find a show]… and the prior seasons are [on HBO Max].” If the plug does get pulled on the show, the recent development that Season 3 ends “on a bit of a cliffhanger” will likely add insult to fans’ injury.
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Young Rock (NBC)
Image Credit: Courtesy of NBC Young Rock in Season 3 averaged a smidge below 2 million total viewers and a 0.4 demo rating, down 20 percent from its freshman numbers. Out of the five sitcoms that NBC aired this TV season, it ranked No. 4 in audience (besting only Grand Crew) but No. 2 in the demo (trailing the already renewed Night Court). We’re putting the show’s renewal odds squarely in “even” territory.
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Welcome to Flatch (Fox)
Image Credit: Courtesy of Fox The fact that Fox has not already cancelled the ratings and buzz-challenged mockumentary sitcom should be considered a win for Flatch fans. (The show’s Season 2 finale last February drew less than 800K viewers.)
