‘Downward Dog’ ratings modest
Viewership for the premiere of ABC’s filmed-in-Pittsburgh comedy “Downward Dog” was modest as the show drew 4.7 million viewers, losing 1.4 million viewers who showed up to watch the season finale of “Modern Family” immediately beforehand. (A Penguins game airing Wednesday night surely did not help the show’s ratings locally.)
“Downward Dog” premiered with a 1.1 rating/4 share among adults 18-49, below the 1.4/5 for the debut of recently canceled ABC comedy “Imaginary Mary.” On the brighter side, ABC says “Downward Dog” came in second in its time slot among men 18-49 (1.2 rating/4 share) behind Fox’s “Empire,” beating NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” (1.1/3) and CBS’s recently canceled “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders” (0.8/3).
The real test of “Downward Dog” as a ratings performer comes next week when the show has to be a self-starter in the 8 p.m. Tuesday time slot. ( The “Downward Dog” pilot will re-air at 8:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC.)
“Downward Dog” received an overwhelmingly positive critical reception, scoring 71 (out of 100) at Metacritic.com and was rated 88 percent fresh at RottenTomatoes.com.
Kept/canceled/rebooted
AMC will bring back “The Son” for a second season and Starz will do the same with “American Gods.”
HBO will follow “The Young Pope” with a second iteration, “The New Pope,” but it won’t begin production until late 2018 according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Netflix will bring back “Arrested Development” for a fifth season. Netflix also will revisit the 1982 Jim Henson film “The Dark Crystal” with a 10-episode prequel series, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” which goes into production this fall.
Freeform’s “Baby Daddy” will conclude with its 100th episode airing Monday.
ABC will revive “Roseanne” in 2018 for eight episodes with the entire cast, including both Beckys, returning. (Lecy Goranson will play Becky; Sarah Chalke will play another role.)
Channel surfing
MTV’s “The Shannara Chronicles” will relocate from MTV to Spike TV for its second season, set to air in the fall (season one encores weekly beginning at 11 p.m. June 29). … Fox will give “A Christmas Story: The Musical” the live TV treatment this holiday season, followed by a live TV production of “Rent” in 2018. … ABC will air “The Little Mermaid Live!” intertwining animated footage from the film with live musical performances.
Tuned In online
Today’s TV Q&A column responds to questions about renewals/cancellations, “The Amazing Race” and Channel 11 clipping “Early Today.” This week’s Tuned In Journal includes posts on “Downward Dog,” new fall schedules on ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW. Read online-only TV content at http://communityvoices.arts-entertainment-living/ tuned-in.
This week’s podcast includes conversation about “Downward Dog,” “The Handmaid’s Tale” and upfronts. Subscribe or listen to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette podcasts at iTunes or at https://soundcloud.com/pittsburghpg.