Turning 500 no easy feat

Turning 500 can’t be easy, especially when you were once considered as fresh and exciting as a new set of emojis. You start to repeat yourself. Things start to sag. In the case of Survivor, which aired its 34th season premiere and 500th episode on March 8, those things are ratings.

Don’t get me wrong — the show isn’t on life support. CBS just gave it an early renewal for another go-round, and its season premiere bringing back 20 game-changer castaways took in 7.6 million U.S. viewers and 2 million Canadian ones.

But that was a record low for a Survivor season debut in the U.S. Compared to a year ago, the show dropped eight per cent in total audience. In Canada, it ranked No. 3 for the week, falling behind relative whippersnappers The Big Bang Theory (which had aired a mere 225 episodes at that point) and NCIS (which had aired 323, not including its crossover episodes with Jag).

Also in the Top 10 was the spring return of first-year drama Designated Survivor, as well as MacGyver — that show aired a crossover episode with Hawaii Five-0, also in the Top 10, that week.

Across Canada, Big Bang was No. 1 in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Montreal and the Greater Toronto Area.

Here are the top programs in Canada for the week of March 6-12, the most recent ratings available, courtesy of audience measurement organization Numeris. 1. The Big Bang Theory (Thurs.), CTV 2. NCIS, Global 3. Survivor, Global 4. Bull, Global 5. Blue Bloods, CTV 6. Grey’s Anatomy, CTV 7. Designated Survivor, CTV 8. The Voice, CTV 9. Hawaii Five-0, Global 10. MacGyver, Global 11. This is Us, CTV 12. NCIS: Los Angeles, Global 13. NCIS: New Orleans, Global 14. CTV Evening News, CTV 15. The Voice Results, CTV 16. MasterChef Canada, CTV 17. Chicago Med, Global 18. Chicago Justice, Global 19. CTV National News, CTV 20. CTV Evening News Weekend, CTV 21. Saturday Night Live, Global 22. Hockey Night in Canada, CBC 23. The Big Bang Theory (weeknights), CTV 24. The Blacklist: Redemption, Global 25. Powerless, CTV 26. Saving Hope, CTV 27. Shades of Blue, Global 28. Grimm, CTV 29. Modern Family, City 30. Taken, Global

SUPPLIED PHOTO Oscar “Ozzy” Lusth is seen during an episode of Survivor. The show, now in its 34th season, aired its 500th episode on March 8. Although the show’s ratings have dropped, it’s nowhere near being on life support and has already been renewed for a 35th season.