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Is that Dopey in the background? It kind of looks like that bloke is wearing a purple hat.
I don’t believe so.
Interesting observation. Despite OUAT’s ratings for this past Sunday, it looks like it actually matched ABC’s weekly average. Ouch for the network and broadcast TV as a whole.
Last week’s median scripted ratings: ABC 1.1, CBS 1.1, Fox 0.85, NBC 1.0. Not every net had a full schedule of new eps.
— TV Grim Reaper (@TVGrimReaper) March 22, 2016
Stunts upon a Monday! #stunts #OUAT #oncers #OnceUponATime pic.twitter.com/XQzMi04qo9
— Maja Aro (@majaaro) March 22, 2016
From ABC's Advisory panel for 515 pic.twitter.com/0KroWtrxuy
— Once Upon A Spoiler ✨🖋 (@UponASpoiler) March 22, 2016
And *that* actually might be the best argument for why they would give OUAT a full season order; what do you put on ABC Sunday’s at 8 for a mere two-three months? If they did revert back to non-split seasons, then it’s a wonky schedule (though hopefully not as bad as it got in the back half of S2) but it still means original drama (that has a fanbase and does pull in numbers/money, even if they are no longer top notch) until you find the best possible replacement.
Yeah, and they may not want to rush for a replacement either. Rushing new shows expecting them to be hits is the wrong way to go about doing things. For example, both Wonderland and The Muppets were rushed, and both were ultimately unsuccessful. Neither had a full length pilot prior to the Upfronts. In Wonderland’s case, we all know that they should have aired it as OUAT’s Mid-Season bridge show instead. If ABC decides on Season 6 being the final season ahead of time, then they could hypothetically spend an entire year trying to figure out what new shows could be viable replacements. They could also hype up the final season in an attempt to regain some interest from some old viewers, who may be intrigued enough to see how the series ends. When it’s a veteran show ending, it tends to get that sort of treatment. CBS is currently doing so with The Good Wife, which too has suffered from declining viewership. The Good Wife also happens to be a Sunday night show.
I wouldn’t be surprised if ABC does test the waters on some shows with the split-season. They’re having a rough year. I just wonder if they’ll try it with shows that are still performing better than others first, to see if that boosts the ratings–Grey’s is probably the best candidate, maybe Scandal. Then if it work, extend it other shows.
Since you’ve been saying that you think it’s likely that Season 6 will be a final shortened Season as opposed to a full Season, one possibility is that it gets around 13 episodes. They air the first 8-9 episodes til the American Music Awards in November, and then save the remaining episodes for January. OUAT’s replacement would naturally start in March.
