Supergirl Scheduling and Ratings: Circulation Audits

[Trini]

No crossover bump:

Quote

Supergirl (1.76 mil/0.5) matched its most recent “regular” episode in the demo, while dipping to its smallest audience since Oct. 23.

http://tvline.com/2017/12/05/gifted-ratings-season-1-episode-9-renewed-cancelled/

[mtlchick]

Supergirl returns January 15 for 4 weeks, then off until April 16 when the Legends take the slot over.    Black Lightning takes over LoT for its run.

 

http://tvline.com/2017/12/08/legends-of-tomorrow-season-3-return-date-supergirl-time-slot-mondays/

 

http://ew.com/tv/2017/12/08/supergirl-legends-of-tomorrow-cw-midseason-premiere-dates/?utm_campaign=entertainmentweekly&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter

Edited December 8, 2017 by mtlchick
Added second link.

[srpturtle80]

1 minute ago, mtlchick said:

Supergirl's return is set for APRIL.  BAH!  (Legends will take over the slot in Feb for 9 weeks.) 

 

http://tvline.com/2017/12/08/legends-of-tomorrow-season-3-return-date-supergirl-time-slot-mondays/

I was just coming here to post this. I watch both shows but I think this is ridiculous. TBH I would prefer that they just run LOT and then Supergirl, instead of only 4 eps of Supergirl and then making us wait 9 weeks for the rest. Ugh. 

[Trini]

Yeah, that odd/unfortunate scheduling. But CW only has so many slots, plus Olympics this Spring.

[ruby24]

I'm thinking this has to do with a delay in Supergirl's production schedule, due to the firing of Kreisberg. They're also getting an extra long filming hiatus for Christmas this year (the show wraps today).

[Lady Calypso]

....what? I just thought that Legends was going to take over Valor's timeslot so it would be Supergirl at 8 and Legends at 9. 

I mean, I'm super happy that I'll get Supergirl into June, when most shows are off air and most summer shows haven't started yet, but that means there's such a long hiatus from episode 13 to episode 14. 

I do suspect you guys are right, in that Kreisberg's firing has caused them to sit down and re-evaluate the rest of the season. I know he was heavily involved in this show, but wasn't he also involved in The Flash? So wouldn't that show need a few weeks hiatus to figure their future out? 

ETA: Or, I guess since The CW has four other midseason shows with no specified date, one of them is taking over Valor's spot, which means one of the shows was likely going to have to take a hiatus to begin with. 

[ruby24]

3 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

I do suspect you guys are right, in that Kreisberg's firing has caused them to sit down and re-evaluate the rest of the season. I know he was heavily involved in this show, but wasn't he also involved in The Flash? So wouldn't that show need a few weeks hiatus to figure their future out? 

That's my question too. But the showrunner over there, Todd Helbing, has been co-running the show since Season 2, so maybe they're on more secure footing? He had been saying that they planned out the entire arc of this current season for the first time over the summer, so maybe that's been more helpful.

Have Supergirl's other showrunners changed every year? Aside from Kreisberg, I mean, since he went back and forth.

[Lady Calypso]

12 minutes ago, ruby24 said:

That's my question too. But the showrunner over there, Todd Helbing, has been co-running the show since Season 2, so maybe they're on more secure footing? He had been saying that they planned out the entire arc of this current season for the first time over the summer, so maybe that's been more helpful.

Have Supergirl's other showrunners changed every year? Aside from Kreisberg, I mean, since he went back and forth.

Not sure. Well, Ali Adler left after season 2, and Greg hasn't been involved heavily since season 1 (though I know he'll be getting more involved for a while because of Kreisberg's departure).

Now I think it doesn't have anything to do with Kreisberg, though I'm sure his departure has shaken up the dynamic, but it has to do with scheduling conflicts with trying to fit in their four midseason shows. It makes it difficult because of Dynasty being picked up for a full season, and all the other shows having a full season, or mostly full season. 

[Iceman91]

big hiatus in the middle of the season is rarely good for the ratings especially with the end of the season finishing outside of the regular tv season.

My guess would be that it's related to changes in the production after kreisberg's firing, we'll see in January if they come back to set on the scheduled date  or if there is a delay

[GHScorpiosRule]

18 minutes ago, Iceman91 said:

big hiatus in the middle of the season is rarely good for the ratings especially with the end of the season finishing outside of the regular tv season.

My guess would be that it's related to changes in the production after kreisberg's firing, we'll see in January if they come back to set on the scheduled date  or if there is a delay

This is what quarks has explained-

2 hours ago, quarks said:

I'm going to bold this for emphasis, since this is the second time this has been brought up:

IT'S HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT AK'S DEPARTURE WILL LEAD TO ANY PRODUCTION DELAYS FOR SUPERGIRL OR FLASH.

1. All three of these shows received a full season order, which means there's no extension option on the contracts.  (Legends of Tomorrow is a bit different here, since that show did not receive a full season order, so there may be some more flexibility there, though some of the other issues I'm about to mention will come up.)

2. That means that the last filming days on these contracts are the last filming days. Can these dates be extended? Well, in emergencies, sure, but this will cost money. 

3. It's not just the actors here; other contracted employees (that is, people with specific end dates) include directors, stunt actors, set dressers, painters, coordinators carpenters, and more. Historically, most of these guys have contracted other work when not specifically contracted to the Arrowverse shows - yeah, Ken Hawryliw has stuck around as the Arrow props master for six solid years, but he's unusual. The others pop in for a few episodes and then pop out again.  The biggest problem would be presumably be the directors - TV directors tend to be booked months in advance, and tend to have relatively full schedules. Delaying the production of an episode by a week means losing that director. 

4. As of November, when AK was suspended/terminated, Supergirl and Flash would have had their location shots booked through at least February. Any production delays would mean not being able to film at those locations, and thus losing the deposits/rental fees on those locations.

This sort of thing is why production delays are costly, which in turn is why U.S. television productions tend to stagger on when a showrunner has to depart for whatever reason.  Berlanti Productions is presumably already looking at having to make some major payouts over the AK situation; there's no need to add more costs to this - especially since all three shows have other showrunners, producers, and writers.

The more likely scenario?  The CW purchased two midseason replacements - Black Lightning and Life Sentence - and also have new episodes of The 100 and iZombie waiting. But they are only cancelling one show, Valor, and most of their fall shows got full season orders. So their schedule is a bit jammed. 

[wilnil]

Also worth noting that Supergirl's ratings have fallen off this season to where the show is now in the middle of the pack among CW shows, and a couple weeks ago was tied with Legends at 0.5 for the 18-49 demo as the lowest rated among the DC-based shows. Not that it's in cancellation territory because of that, but it's no longer too hot to be exempt from being bumped for a few months by new entries to the network's lineup.

Edited December 9, 2017 by wilnil

[quarks]

And also worth noting: multiple CW sources have repeatedly said that they don't care about the live numbers/ratings. And sure, some of this is probably just defensiveness over just how awful the CW's numbers are in general - but CBS financial reports continue to state that the most of the revenue from CW shows comes from post views (international licensing, streaming, DVD/Blu-Ray, and with Supernatural, at least, syndication fees).  Supergirl also moves at least some merchandise. So U.S. ratings/live numbers are presumably not the key concern here - everyone on Arrow seems convinced that they'll be getting a seventh season, and their numbers this season are below Supergirl's.

And for what it's worth, the production values for Arrow, Flash and Legends of Tomorrow visibly improved this season, suggesting some sort of budget increase for those three shows despite the ratings/live viewer drops for all three of those shows last season. Supergirl is produced under a different Berlanti subsidiary and visibly had a higher budget than the other three shows last season, but it doesn't seem to have gotten a budget cut this season. 

[MarkHB]

Supergirl has been renewed for Season 4! As has, pretty much everything on The CW that doesn't star Lucy Hale.

[MarkHB]

... and she's moving to Sundays this fall!

[sonyab]

6 hours ago, MarkHB said:

... and she's moving to Sundays this fall!

Yeah I just found out, and came on here to talk about it.. My first thought that I said out loud to myself, was, oh oh.

[MarkHB]

1 minute ago, sonyab said:

Yeah I just found out, and came on here to talk about it.. My first thought that I said out loud to myself, was, oh oh.

Genuine question: what gave you that reaction?  I'm genuinely interested in how people perceive Sunday night TV nowadays.

[sonyab]

2 minutes ago, MarkHB said:

Genuine question: what gave you that reaction?  I'm genuinely interested in how people perceive Sunday night TV nowadays.

It goes from Monday night to a Sunday night. Isn't that like a bad omen/Juju? :)

[Lady Calypso]

19 minutes ago, sonyab said:

It goes from Monday night to a Sunday night. Isn't that like a bad omen/Juju? :)

Their Sunday night programming IS a new thing, so it's not set in stone that it's a death sentence. Rather, it's The CW's way of putting a show on Sunday night to see if it works out, so they can continue with Sunday nights.

[sonyab]

40 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Their Sunday night programming IS a new thing, so it's not set in stone that it's a death sentence. Rather, it's The CW's way of putting a show on Sunday night to see if it works out, so they can continue with Sunday nights.

OH! Okay! Whew! :) So how new is the Sunday night programming for them? When did it start?

[Lady Calypso]

10 minutes ago, sonyab said:

OH! Okay! Whew! :) So how new is the Sunday night programming for them? When did it start?

Well, for The CW, this fall season is going to be the first time. So when I say it's new, I really mean that it's new for this network. Their previous network, The WB, used to have Sunday programming back in the mid 2000s and as far as I remember, it did quite well. 2018 is a different story, though, but I can't imagine it not doing well. Opening up a sixth night of programming allows for more shows to air.

[MarkHB]

1 hour ago, sonyab said:

It goes from Monday night to a Sunday night. Isn't that like a bad omen/Juju? :)

I don't know, that's why I'm asking. It used to be that Sunday was where the networks would put their strongest shows because it was the highest viewing night of the week.

[MarkHB]

I also find it interesting that the very first words of the description for Charmed are, "Stronger Together" :).

[BaggythePanther]

Sunday’s also have lots of competition. If I remember correctly The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones and football all air on Sundays during the year.

I’m curious to see if they will reduce Supergirl’s episode order, especially because Melissa’s Broadway stint might delay the start of shooting this fall.

[Trini]

I know it doesn't mean much in this age of DVRs, but starting this week, CW will be re-airing the new episodes in Riverdale's timeslot - Wednesdays at 8pm.

[Lantern7]

Here in New York, the episode was preempted by a Yankees game. I looked up Wednesday . . . preempted by a Mets game. I know it’ll be on demand by tomorrow, but I kinda hate not zooming through commercials.

[Trini]

It's preempted in my market, too; but my CW station is airing it later this same night.

[Trini]

For the 3-show crossover Supergirl will change timeslots; it will air (as the third part) on Tues. Dec. 11th.

[MarkHB]

Things that make you go "Hmmm": Supergirl isn't the only female heroine moving to Sundays; so is the Thirteenth Doctor.  No word on the permanent Sunday timeslot for the Doctor, though, just that the season premiere will simulcast with the UK.

[Trini]

Season Premiere ratings:

Quote

Supergirl christened The CW’s new stab at Sundays with 1.53 million viewers and a 0.5 rating, matching its Season 3 average and finale (1.8 mil/0.5) in the demo. In total viewers, it matched the superhero series’ fourth smallest audience. 

https://tvline.com/2018/10/15/supergirl-ratings-season-4-premiere-charmed-reboot/

Quote

CW returned respectably to Sunday nights for the first time in almost a decade. Supergirl (0.5, 1.526M) debuted its fourth season with numbers that equaled its year-ago demo debut on a Monday,  while down 18% in total viewers from year-ago’s 1.867M launch crowd.

https://deadline.com/2018/10/donald-trump-ratings-nosedive-60-minutes-interview-cw-returns-respectably-sunday-charmed-supergirl-tv-ratings-1202482812/

Quote

It was a solid Sunday premiere night for the CW, starting with “Supergirl,” which scored a 0.5 rating in adults 18-49 – even with its premiere last year and its 2017-18 season average.

https://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/daily-ratings/tv-ratings-sunday-oct-14-2018/

[Trini]

Supergirl will be a rerun on Super Bowl Sunday.

1/20 -- 410: "Suspicious Minds"

1/27 -- 411: "Blood Memory"

2/3 -- [re-run]

2/10 -- 412? (the Grammy awards are airing that night, so it might be 2 weeks off)

Edited January 20, 2019 by Trini

[Trini]

Per the latest Supergirl press release, 4.12 will air on Feb. 17. The current schedule:

1/20 -- 4.10: "Suspicious Minds"

1/27 -- 4.11: "Blood Memory"

2/3 -- [re-run]

2/10 -- [re-run]

2/17 -- 4.12: "Menagerie"

[Trini]

5 hours ago, Rushmoras said:

Anyone knows why there will be a two-week gap between this and episode 12? And then another long-ass gap until March 25?

Superbowl, Grammys, and the Oscars.

Current schedule:

2/3 -- [re-run]

2/10 -- [re-run]

2/17 -- 4.12: "Menagerie"

2/24 -- [re-run]

3/3  --  4.13

3/10 -- 4.14: “Stand and Deliver”

3/17 -- 4.15: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

[Trini]

CW president comment about Sunday nights:

Quote

Almost a season into its Sunday expansion, Pedowitz said the move has been “an unqualified success” for the network, its affiliates, advertisers and owners. “We expanded, it helped our digital numbers, it helped the broadcast business, because it was actually growth in the broadcast business.” (Last summer, the additional night of inventory fueled a 15 percent increase in upfront volume.)

This season, the network’s Sunday night lineup (Supergirl and Charmed) has more than doubled their affiliates’ 18-49 Sunday time slot ratings year over year. “To open a night as a broadcaster, it’s a really good feeling,” said Pedowitz.

https://www.adweek.com/tv-video/the-cw-prepares-to-replace-several-concluding-cornerstone-shows-as-upfronts-approach/

[shantown]

CW fall schedule info

I like putting Batwoman and Supergirl together for a “Superheroine Sunday” but it’s a weird choice to have Batwoman at 8 and Supergirl at 9. BW seems the darker show, and SG usually more lighthearted. I would have switched that but... what do I know, I guess! 

[Trini]

Yeah, I would have preferred that Supergirl stay at 8.

[sonyab]

1 hour ago, Trini said:

Yeah, I would have preferred that Supergirl stay at 8.

Yeah me too.

[Oreo2234]

They probably think the 8 pm timeslot is better to launch a new show. Sunday night is still very competitive. Batwoman would be better off on Monday at 8 pm. 

Edited May 16, 2019 by Oreo2234

[Trini]

CW Fall premiere dates. Supergirl Season 5 starts October 6th.

Quote

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 6
8:00-9:00pm BATWOMAN (Series Premiere)
9:00-10:00pm SUPERGIRL (Season Premiere)

[BkWurm1]

On 5/16/2019 at 8:30 AM, shantown said:

CW fall schedule info

I like putting Batwoman and Supergirl together for a “Superheroine Sunday” but it’s a weird choice to have Batwoman at 8 and Supergirl at 9. BW seems the darker show, and SG usually more lighthearted. I would have switched that but... what do I know, I guess! 

I would have too but honestly, the CW never is on late enough for it really to make a difference.  Or at least it never really seemed to matter on Arrow.  Nothing changed when we had the later time slot nor did it change when it went back to the earlier one.  

They must think that Batwoman will be the show providing the bounce to Supergirl though which i guess is fair.  The Bat universe brings a lot of eyes.  Hope Supergirl makes use of any extra eyes that might see their premiere 

[Trini]

Crossover 2019 scheduling:

Quote

This coming season, The CW will present its biggest DC crossover ever with CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS airing across five different episodes of the network's hit superhero series and spanning two quarters (December 2019 and January 2020). The CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS episodic air schedule is as follows (some series airing outside of their regular time period):

SUPERGIRL - Sunday, December 8, 2019 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT)

BATWOMAN - Monday, December 9, 2019 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT)

THE FLASH - Tuesday, December 10, 2019 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT)

ARROW - Tuesday, January 14, 2020 (8:00-9:00pm ET/PT)

DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - Tuesday, January 14, 2020 (9:00-10:00pm ET/PT)

[Trini]

From Variety: 'Fall 2019 Sunday Network Ratings Forecast';

Quote

Per usual on Sundays in the fall, the other networks are playing for second place behind NBC, whose primetime NFL broadcast typically dwarfs everything else. CBS and Fox will get NFL bumps of their own in weeks when they have late-afternoon games, and ABC and The CW will attempt to hold their own with counterprogramming.

...

Three first-year shows are set to air in the fall: family-oriented unscripted show Kids Say the Darndest Things, starring Tiffany Haddish (8 p.m., ABC), DC Comics drama Batwoman (8 p.m., The CW) and animated comedy Bless the Harts (8:30 p.m., Fox).

Four veteran shows have new time slots: Second-year drama The Rookie moves from Tuesday to Sunday at 10 on ABC. Fox's Bob's Burgers and Family Guy each slide back a half-hour to 9 and 9:30 p.m., and Supergirl moves from 8 to 9 on The CW.

...

Supergirl helped The CW re-establish a Sunday presence last season, and Batwoman figures to be a more compatible fit with its fellow DC show than Charmed was last year.

[Trini]

https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/tv-ratings-arrowverse-crossover-cw-season-high-1203429720/

Quote

Last night’s epic “Arrowverse” crossover episode  “Crisis on Infinite Earths” ... propelled the CW to its highest TV rating of the season so far.

The episode came in at a 0.6 rating among adults 18-49 and drew 1.67 million total viewers, the second highest viewership for any episode on the network this season, behind only the “Batwoman” premiere which drew 1.86 million. Part 1 of “Crisis on Infinite Earths” aired over an episode of “Supergirl” which, prior to last night, has been averaging a 0.2 rating and just under 1 million viewers across season 5.

[Trini]

BTW, there's no new episode this Sunday. New episodes are back March 8:

3/8/20 - 5.14 - "The Bodyguard"

3/15/20 - 5.15 - "Reality Bytes"

[Trini]

The next new episode that was set to air this Sunday (5.17, "Deus Lex Machina") has now been replaced by a rerun.

😞

Edited March 25, 2020 by Trini

[Perfect Xero]

7 hours ago, Trini said:

The next new episode that was set to air this Sunday (5.17, "Deus Lex Machina") has now been replaced by a rerun.

😞

Hope it's just that the post-production has been slower with people working from home and not that it's been stopped completely.

[ruby24]

How many episodes did they get to finish?

[Oreo2234]

They were filming the season finale and had a couple of days left when they shut down production. Nicole Maines said they had a few scenes left to film. It's not clear if they shot enough to make into a coherent finale if they can't return to filming soon. We also don't know whether the visual and sound effects crew are still able to finish their work on the episodes. I heard that Legends of Tomorrow's post production crew are working on the final episodes but apparently post production work for Supernatural has been suspended. 

Edited March 27, 2020 by Oreo2234

[Velocity23]

Supergirl and Batwoman returning on april 26th

 

[Lady Calypso]

That's good. I'm glad that it has a return date. I assume that they were able to get going on post production for the episodes they have completed, so they feel confident enough that they can get it all done by the time the show returns. 

[shantown]

I hope they air all the completed eps without breaks. It's not going to help ratings at all airing a new episode only like once a month.