The numbers are in and it appears that The CW’s top two shows may have hit a bit of a slump. The ratings for ‘The Flash’ Season Three premier scored a 1.3 rating which equals 3.2 million viewers. That’s down from 3.6 million who tuned in for the Season Two premier, a 1.4 rating. But things were even worse for ‘Arrow’. The show that spawned ‘The Flash’ returned for its fifth season, but missed the mark with a 0.7 rating, which equals 1.9 million viewers. That’s down 29% from last season’s premier and down 36% in the key 18-49 demographic.
Should fans begin worrying? Not just yet. These are just the numbers for live viewers, so those that DVR’d these episodes haven’t been included yet and should lift both numbers. People are watching series in various ways nowadays, including streaming and on-demand. So those viewers aren’t factored into these numbers either.
Some think the October start date may have muddled things, since many shows returned in September. Could the heroes have gotten a bit lost on the shuffle?
‘The Flash’ kicked off its ‘Flashpoint’ storyline which resolved the cliffhanger from last season’s finale. Meanwhile, ‘Arrow’ returned to its roots with a darker tone reminiscent of its first season. Is it possible some are just weary of these shows? It’s possible, especially since many feel that if you watch one, you must watch the other and now that ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ and ‘Supergirl’ are part of the mix, that’s a four night commitment if you watch them all.
But could content play a part? It’s not out of the question, especially in the case of ‘Arrow’, which is coming off of its arguably worst season yet, with the supernatural Damian Darkh storyline and that dopey magical finale. Besides that, many fans are tired of the nonstop flashbacks (Geez, how long was he away from Star City, anyway?!) while some may view the return to lethal vigilante Oliver Queen as a step backward.
Meanwhile, over on ‘The Flash’ Barry is getting crowded out of his own show, with Wally as The Flash in the ‘Flashpoint’ reality and Jesse Wells also adopting a speedster identity. And with all the time travel and parallel universes, it may be getting to be a bit much to keep track of. Is it too much?
Another strike against ‘The Flash’ is it aired on the same night as the Vice Presidential Debate, which probably stole some viewers. Meanwhile, ‘Arrow’ got beaten by FOX’s TV version of ‘Lethal Weapon’, which owned the night.
At any rate, ‘Supergirl’ and ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ both relaunch this coming week and it should be interesting to see how ‘Supergirl”s rating compare to those when the show was on CBS (on which it was only a middling success) and how ‘Legends’, which launched mid-season last year, will hold up as a fall premier.
Did you tune in to ‘Arrow’ and/or ‘The Flash’ this past week? Are you looking forward to four days of DC shows on The CW?
Sources: The Wrap, Cinema Blend
