The Numbers Are In And 'Inhumans' Had a Decent Premiere

Ever since the reveal of how much (or little, depending on your minset) money Inhumans made at the box office many wondered how it would fair on the small screen. Given the negative ratings and overall reception, expectations were not high. Even if Scott Buck managed to push Iron Fist to become the one of the highest viewed Marvel-Netflix series, network television is a much harsher playground. After Inhumans finally aired last night on ABC, we know how much of an audience it was able to draw in, and it is not as bad as one might expect.

Both premiere episodes averaged a 0.9 rating among adults 18 – 49 with about 3.8 million viewers. This is far removed from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.‘s 4.7 and Agent Carter‘s 1.9 premieres. The sad aspect is that this premiere is a representation of the current TV landscape. Ratings have been continuously dropping with every season and Fridays are a general dead zone for the media. It actually grabbed the first spot ahead of CBS’s MacGyver, FOX’s Hell’s Kitchen and Law & Order True Crime: Menendez, but saw a drop in its second episode (which immediately followed the first).

Agent Carter is a good show to draw in for comparison. When it premiered with a 1.9, it was slightly below SHIELD‘s second season premiere of 2.1. Inhumans is in the exact same spot, as its premiere was around the same time or year as the sister series. At this point, this could be considered a pattern for Marvel or superhero-based shows on ABC. So far, the network’s highest numbers are reached with very female-centric shows, especially their tentpole franchise Grey’s Anatomy.

Is this a confirmation that the show is canceled? It is too early to tell, as it has only premiered. It has a shorter run, so unlike other ABC shows its ratings do not face continuous drops over a long period of time. Still, if next week’s episode can remain around a 0.9, Inhumans chances to stay alive on Friday might not be too bad. Moreover, some strong running franchises are ending this season, such as Scandal and The Middle. Disney has shown a strong interest in SHIELD returning for a fifth season  (against ABC’s wishes) and we have no idea what future interest IMAX may have in the series. This would also match up with Buck‘s recent comments on having three seasons already planned out.

Did you watch the premiere on ABC? What chances do you think the series has, going forward? Let us know, in the comments!

Source: TVbytheNumbers, The Hollywood Reporter