As Fox’s midseason lineup unfolds, it’s time to see how its scripted series fare this season.
The network controversially canceled “9-1-1: Lone Star” last year despite no data suggesting the long-delayed fifth season would be a ratings disaster.
The decision may bother Fox, as the series starring Rob Lowe is still a solid choice.
But Fox has made a big shift in recent years to try to offer more cost-effective programming on its schedule.
Not surprisingly, some of its shows don’t get much recognition.
Let’s take a closer look.
9-1-1: Lone Star – Canceled
We knew the writing was on the wall when Fox put the show on hiatus for over a year, but somehow we never thought they would cancel it.
Season 5 of 9-1-1: Lone Star has averaged 4.3 million viewers so far and a 0.42 rating among adults 18-49 (counting a week of DVRs).
Those numbers were enough to make “9-1-1: Lone Star” FOX’s most-watched scripted series.
But as we at TV Fanatic often say, longer-running scripted shows are much more expensive than first-time ones, so Fox’s new cost-benefit-conscious system believes it can do better on new shows.
It probably didn’t help the case for 9-1-1: Lone Star that the original 9-1-1 moved to ABC last year, so it’s inevitable that the branch won’t be around for too long.
Sadly, with these ratings, it can survive on ABC through budget cuts.
As things stand, the 9-1-1: Lone Star series finale is scheduled for February.
Watch 9-1-1: Lone Star Online
Charged – Possible Cancellation
What a difference a year makes. The Accused Season 1 was a powerful anthology series that earned rave reviews and stellar ratings.
But the storyline and ratings plummeted in the second season, with the demo averaging only 2.35 million viewers and a 0.22 rating.
During the pilot season, ratings dropped 60%, indicating that viewers no longer cared about the show.
We’d be surprised if the internet mentions this again.
Watch Accused Online
Bob’s Burgers – possible renewal
The long-running animated series averaged 1.2 million viewers and a 0.37 rating.
Those numbers are nothing to write home about, but again, the show dominates streaming, so Disney hopes it stays relevant for the foreseeable future.
Unfortunately, the show has become a shell of its former self creatively, and we wouldn’t object to a pre-planned series finale that put it out of its misery.
Watch The Last of Us Online
Crapopolis – updated
The animation-led series has been in steady decline since its 2023 premiere, but it’s definitely making big changes.
The show has been renewed for two more seasons, although the second season’s viewership was less than 1 million, including a week’s worth of DVRs. Wow.
Watch Krapolis online
Small Town Murders—Possible Renewal
Even though the Kristen Kreuk murder mystery didn’t make a splash, it was a co-production so expectations were low.
Including a week of DVRs, the demo attracted more than 3 million viewers and a 0.24 rating.
The demo record is softer than we’d like to move it into a specific renewal category, but we’d be shocked if it didn’t reluctantly renew.
There’s potential for more story here, and there’s every reason to believe Fox would want a Small Town season 2.
Watch Little Murder Online
Hi-Surf to the Rescue – Possible Renewal
The show’s ratings were as high as those of “Rescue Hi-Surf,” but Fox’s investment in the show didn’t translate into great ratings.
Taking into account a week of DVR, Rescue Hi-Surf’s first season averaged 3.4 million viewers and a 0.41 rating.
Those numbers are skewed because the premiere was heavily supported by the NFL’s Sunday import.
Rescue Hi-Surf may not be nearly as expensive as 9-1-1: Lone Star, so expectations aren’t nearly as high.
Plus, it’s currently the second-ranked TV series on the Internet, so what’s not to like? Fox may consider retooling the show between seasons since it hasn’t reached its full potential, but that’s a discussion for another article.
Watch Rescue HI-Surf online
The Simpsons — Possible Renewal
The show is about to enter its 40th season, and it will be successful whether on Fox or in Disney-owned media because the show makes money for Disney.
Although the ratings have dropped a lot this year, it still attracted nearly 2 million viewers, including a 0.50 DVR rating for the week, so there is still an audience.
Watch The Simpsons Online
Well, TV Fanatics. now you. Which Fox shows do you think are most deserving of another season?
Hit the comments and let us know what you think!
