The Cancellation Clock is Ticking on ABC’s ‘Time After Time’ and Fox’s ‘Making History’

SUNDAY, MARCH 5, 2017

What follows are the metered market household results by half-hour for Sunday, March 19:

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 6.2/10, NBC: 3.7/ 6, ABC: 1.9/ 3, Fox: 1.3/ 2

Percent Change from the Year-Ago Evening:
CBS: – 6, NBC: -12, ABC: -24, ABC: -62

Ratings Breakdown:
CBS stood well above the Sunday competition in the household overnights, finishing first in each of the eight half-hours with its older-skewing combination of “60 Minutes” (#1 for the night: 8.1 rating/14 share), “NCIS: Los Angeles” (6.7/11), “Madam Secretary” (5.9/ 9) and “Elementary” (4.0/ 6).

But the bigger observation on Sunday, and it was not a positive one, was the lack of interest in the recent midseason entries on ABC and Fox. In week three news, ABC drama “Time After Time” sunk to a mere 1.3/ 2 at 9 p.m. Comparably, that was 28 percent below lead-in “Once Upon a Time” (#3: 1.8/ 3 at 8 p.m.). It was 35 percent below failed year-ago time period occupant “The Family” (2.0/ 3 on 3/20/16). And “Time After Time” was 19 percent below the already anemic 1.6/ 3 in the household overnights last week.

On Fox, episode three of comedy “Making History” dipped to a distant fourth-place 1.0/ 2 at 8:30 p.m., which was down by 33 percent from lead-in “The Simpsons” (1.5/ 2 at 8 p.m.) and 17 percent from the 1.2/ 2 one week earlier.

NBC had far better overnight results week four of “Chicago Justice,” which leading out of bona fide hit “Little Big Shots” (#2: 5.7/ 9) scored a second-place 3.6/ 6 in the 9 p.m. hour.

Also particularly alarming was the second episode of season three of ABC anthology “American Crime” (#3: 1.4/ 2 at 10 p.m.), which trailed competing “Elementary” on CBS (#1: 4.0/ 6) and just renewed “Shades of Blue” on NBC (#2: 2.8/ 5) by 65 percent and 50 percent, respectively.

Earlier in the evening on ABC was veteran “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at a second-place 3.1/ 6 in the 7 p.m. hour. Fox aired back-to-back episodes of animated “Bob’s Burgers” opposite it (#4: avg. 1.3/ 2 form 7-9 p.m.).

Also on Fox last night were typically lackluster overnight results for “Family Guy” (#3: 1.6/ 2) and “The Last Man on Earth” (#3t: 1.3/ 2 from 9-10 p.m.).

What follows are the household overnight results for Sunday, March 19:

7:00 p.m.
ABC – “America’s Funniest Home Videos”: 3.1/ 6 (#2)
CBS – “60 Minutes”: 8.6/16 (#1)
NBC – “Little Big Shots” (R): 2.8/ 5 (#3)
Fox – “Bob’s Burgers” (R): 1.4/ 2 (#4)

7:30 p.m.
ABC – “America’s Funniest Home Videos”: 3.0/ 5 (#2t)
CBS – “60 Minutes”: 7.5/13 (#1)
NBC – “Little Big Shots” (R): 3.0/ 5 (#2t)
Fox – “Bob’s Burgers” (R): 1.1/ 2 (#4)

8:00 p.m.
ABC – “Once Upon a Time”: 1.9/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS: Los Angeles”: 7.4/12 (#1)
NBC – “Little Big Shots”: 5.3/ 9 (#2)
Fox – “The Simpsons”: 1.5/ 2 (#4)

8:30 p.m.
ABC – “Once Upon a Time”: 1.8/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “NCIS: Los Angeles”: 6.3/10 (#1)
NBC – “Little Big Shots”: 6.0/10 (#2)
Fox – “Making History”: 1.0/ 2 (#4)

9:00 p.m.
ABC – “Time After Time”: 1.3/ 2 (#4)
CBS – “Madam Secretary”: 6.1/10 (#1)
NBC – “Chicago Justice”: 3.8/ 6 (#2)
Fox – “Family Guy”: 1.6/ 2 (#4)

9:30 p.m.
ABC – “Time After Time”: 1.3/ 2 (#3t)
CBS – “Madam Secretary”: 5.6/ 9 (#1)
NBC – “Chicago Justice”: 3.4/ 5 (#2)
Fox – “The Last Man on Earth”: 1.3/ 2 (#3t)

10:00 p.m.
ABC – “American Crime”: 1.4/ 2 (#3)
CBS – “Elementary”: 4.6/ 8 (#1)
NBC – “Shades of Blue”: 2.8/ 5 (#2)

10:30 p.m.
ABC – “American Crime”: 1.4/ 3 (#3)
CBS – “Elementary”: 3.4/ 6 (#1)
NBC – “Shades of Blue”: 1.4/ 3 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research