Now we're getting to the point of summer where I'm probably going to have to start repeating a lot more shows to fill up this list. Hopefully there are a ton of premieres next month.


1. Game of Thrones (8.112 million 4.1)- Unsurprisingly, this show set another series high (in total viewers, not the demo) for the finale. This show is just phenomenal in a cable landscape where not much stands out anymore. We know HBO’s plan by now. They will build hype through the rest of the year through streaming and DVD sales so that when the show returns next April, viewer interest will remain strong. They are not changing that formula and they don’t have to change it.

2. Return to Amish (1.741 million 0.4)- So this has been on a few weeks now and the ratings have remained pretty strong. I mentioned several weeks ago that TLC needed this show to do well given the turmoil with their other top shows. You may not hear anything about this show but because of the climate, no news is good news.

3. Hannibal (1.66 million 0.5)- My goodness these numbers are ugly even for summer. That being said, their other scripted offerings still aren’t faring better than this. Basically, NBC is depending on their reality shows to keep them afloat until the fall because they are getting nothing from their scripted shows.

4. Devious Maids (1.344 million 0.5)- This show is drifting away from respectability but it is a slow drift. It is still pretty early in the season and the show is still getting numbers that would place it into renewal territory at the moment but this show really cannot afford to lose any more viewers.

5. Love & Hip Hop Atlanta: The Afterparty Live (2.000 million 1.0)- This may be putting VH1 in a position that not too many people will take into consideration. What this has going for it is that the ratings are stable and that the average is over 2 million viewers. What it has going against it is that the retention behind the main show could be a whole lot better and if VH1 wants to extend this show beyond just the Atlanta wing of the franchise, it could seriously hurt the numbers of the shows that have to follow it. I’m not seeing evidence of that so far with Family Hustle but that show is a show that can’t be compared to anything else because of the way VH1 schedules the show.

6. Veep (1.112 million 0.5)- By now we’re all aware that premieres and finales are the highest rated episodes for this show because it gets a tiny boost from an inflated Silicon Valley (which gets a slightly bigger than tiny boost from Game of Thrones). The same thing I said about Game of Thrones applies to this situation as well. HBO has no reason to tinker with this night and they are not going to make any changes. This will return next April.

7. Blood, Sweat and Heels (673,000 0.3)- I knew the ratings drop was coming but I didn’t think it would be this low. However, I’m not going to place the blame on this show. Married to Medicine led off the night with lower than normal numbers and then it’s lead-out (Mother Funders) actually performed worse than this show for the series premiere. Bravo may want to swap this show with Mother Funders now that Game of Thrones has wrapped for the season and let the remainder of the season air at 9pm. They may have overestimated how strong this night would be and if they want any hope of salvaging the night, they may have to make that move.

8. Walk of Shame Shuttle (155,000 0.1)- This was actually pretty close to hitting a 0.0 demo for the finale (the actual demo for this episode is 0.05). I want to believe this show won’t be renewed and with a season average of 165,000 viewers, it probably won’t be renewed, but VH1 showed their hand already by already renewing 2 of their 4 lowest rated shows so far this year (as opposed to only one of their top 4 shows so far this year). That means you can’t declare this show quite dead yet because clearly the standards are either much lower than past years or there are other outside factors that will determine if this show returns for a second season.

9. Hell’s Kitchen (3.42 million 1.1)- This isn’t a terrible finish given the circumstances but FOX does need to try not to start this show so early in the spring. We know they have massive problems on Tuesday nights during the season and it’s likely those problems won’t be fixed next season but this show is no longer strong enough to be the band-aid to carry them through until the summer season starts.

10. Beauty and the Beast (880,000 0.3)- These aren’t awful ratings and for this show, it’s going to need all the justification it can get. This is a show that should have gotten canceled last year. Instead, it will return for a fourth season next year. If the ratings get worse from here, we will all be left to shake our heads at why this show is still on the air.