(UTV | COLOMBO) – Despite scoring huge numbers for its trailer, audiences didn’t seem to tune in for ABC’s Katey Sagal-led “Rebel” which premiered to a decent start on Thursday.
The series pulled in 3.65 million viewers and a 0.48 rating among adults 18-49, on par with “A Million Little Things” in that timeslot earlier this season.
Reviews for the series were soft with just a 57/100 on Metacritic. Praise was high for the cast and for the showrunner and its knack for snappy dialogue, but heavily criticised the overall risk aversion and heavy-handedness.
Reviews were only slightly better for the “Kung Fu” reboot over at The CW. With a 65/100 Metacritic score, the series scored the highest total viewership number for a Wednesday debut since “The 100” premiered seven years ago.
The series also delivered The CW’s largest audience in the time period in two and half years since Riverdale in October 2018.
The numbers come as TV rating juggernaut Nielsen has come under fire by allowing its audience viewing metrics to deteriorate due to pandemic conditions – leading to significant undercounting of the audience and notable shortfalls in tracking audience viewing.
Nielsen blames a combination of more repeats, delayed premieres, and the lack of sports heightening the challenges for the TV industry to snag viewers. One thing is for sure though, linear viewing is decreasing at a faster rate as people switch over to streaming.
