The cancellation of Star was by far the most shocking news from the last week. I found it shocking, but my first thought was that the cancellation only made sense if Empire ended next season (FOX made that announcement official yesterday). Going by already released schedules and the habits of networks still to come (CBS and The CW at the time of this post), next fall will see the networks taking a highly conservative route; going with known entities and plotting graceful exits for some long-running shows. Unfortunately, that means everything after January will be a mess with the normal slew of awards shows and sports events plus coverage of the 2020 Presidential primary elections. My view is that the Broadcast networks know that they don't have too much to rely on as far as shows go and they may just try to survive next season by acquiring and promoting as many live events as possible.

Broadcast Shows:

American Idol- 7.869 million (1.2)

Chicago Med- 7.799 million (1.2)

Chicago Fire- 7.736 million (1.0)

The Voice (Monday)- 7.691 million (1.1)

Chicago P.D.- 6.290 million (0.9)

The Voice (Tuesday)- 6.199 million (0.9)

Empire (Finale)- 4.092 million (1.2)

Star (Series Finale)- 3.430 million (1.0)

The Flash- 1.450 million (0.5)

Supergirl- 1.110 million (0.3)

DC's Legends of Tomorrow- 987,000 (0.3)

Arrow (Finale)- 951,000 (0.2)

Riverdale- 740,000 (0.3)

Cable Shows:

Game of Thrones- 12.479 million (5.4)

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills- 1.730 million (0.6)

The Haves and the Have Nots (Premiere)- 1.517 million (0.3)

Love & Hip Hop Atlanta- 1.475 million (0.7)

Vanderpump Rules (Reunion Part 2)- 1.335 million (0.5)

Real Housewives of Atlanta: Porsha's Having a Baby (Part 3)- 1.143 million (0.4)

T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle- 1.138 million (0.5)

Veep (Series Finale)- 1.097 million (0.4)

Teen Mom 2- 988,000 (0.5)

Real Housewives of Potomac- 957,000 (0.3)

Keeping Up with the Kardashians- 883,000 (0.4)

Project Runway- 869,000 (0.2)

The Challenge: War of the Worlds- 790,000 (0.5)

Mama June: From Not to Hot- 764,000 (0.2)

Little Women Atlanta- 712,000 (0.2)

Ridiculousness (8:30)- 648,000 (0.2)

Little Women LA- 605,000 (0.2)

Braxton Family Values- 575,000 (0.2)

Double Shot at Love- 568,000 (0.4)

RuPaul's Drag Race- 555,000 (0.3)

Ridiculousness (8:00)- 511,000 (0.2)

Untucked- 390,000 (0.2)

Teen Mom: Young Moms Club- 357,000 (0.2)

Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists- 199,000 (0.1)