Ratings for Agents of SHIELD episode 1.03 "The Asset" - Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

That's disappointing, but they did better than NCIS, it's got to be worth something.

Sad. I hope it stabilizes. Best show on tv. Damn. I dont mind people not liking it, but i hope we get a couple of seasons of this.

Darkness | October 09, 16:43 CET

It's the second highest 18-49 rating of the night, and it beat NCIS in that demo, and it might still be adjusted up, but I have a very bad feeling about this.

Perseo | October 09, 16:44 CET

I think it's got a second season. I wouldn't be surprised if we heard about it by the end of the week.

Simon | October 09, 16:46 CET

Except for Supernatural which was returning in new time slot, almost every show from the big 4 were down yesterday.

Still 5th in term of viewers, and 2nd on 18-49 ratings, slightly losing to The Voice.

Still No Picnic. Unless it drop below 1.5, and if it doesn't get a another considerable DVR+3 increase.

I think back-9 announcement is imminent.

Numfar PTB | October 09, 16:47 CET

I don't know, I think ABC would have expected more from the show from a ratings POV. Especially given the awesome marketing it received. I'd be satisfied with a full season pick up at this point.

Perseo | October 09, 16:47 CET

How come Aos has a smaller 18-49 rating than The Voice but a bigger share?

Simon | October 09, 16:52 CET

Supernatural's ratings, in its ninth season, for CW standards, are a miracle. I love that show. Congrats to them.

Perseo | October 09, 16:52 CET

I worked on The Voice yesterday and Monday, and again tomorrow. Now I feel dirty.

bobw1o | October 09, 16:55 CET

Im just sad that if it still declines it would mean another Joss show (and i know some of you disagree, but this feels like a Joss show to me,not disregarding the rest of the family) i have to worry about being cancelled. And im loving it. If this gets cancelled again, after Firefly and Dollhouse, and in lesser degree, as we at least got five seasons, Angel, i´ll just get a bit down; it seems tv and Joss are destined to be parted. And i just wish to see a couple of Whedon seasons again without having to finish it off quickly cause we got a chance to finish it but with little time, like Dollhouse. Im a bit sick of "the thing we would have done if..." at this point.

Well,yeah. Patience. The numbers arent bad. Im not that wiorried yet. Jus a bit uneasy. Too much disapointment in the past. Makes one a bit touchy.

[ edited by Darkness on 2013-10-09 16:56 ]

Darkness | October 09, 16:56 CET

Supernatural way over performed last night (in terms of, I suspect, The CW's expectations).

SHIELD down 15% in 18-49. Not a bad drop all considered. The Voice recap thing (which wasn't previously scheduled!) didn't do terribly, so it's still competition. Smart counter move by NBC. Next week, assuming NBC doesn't change the schedule again, The Biggest Loser moves in against SHIELD.

Also, check out that NCIS rating - over 10 million of their viewers were aged 50 or over.

[ edited by gossi on 2013-10-09 16:58 ]

gossi | October 09, 16:57 CET

Same for me, Darkness. I was quite sure that this would be the one Joss show I wouldn't have to worry about, but it looks like I was wrong..

Perseo | October 09, 16:59 CET

Supernatural is never going to die, is it? That show was so hit and miss even during its best seasons, so I'm actually a bit shocked at how well it has been doing lately. Fair enough though, there are worse shows on tv.

Hoping Agents of Shield will adjust up like it did last week.

manbearpig | October 09, 17:05 CET

Pah. I wouldn't worry. Person of Interest is on its 3rd season (now with added Amy Acker), it got a 2.0 in the demo. SHIELD got 2.7 last night. Person of Interest started below SHIELD, too. Or in Captain Dummy talk, ABC have a lot of leg room with the show. And Marvel/Disney/ABC have ways of cross promoting.

gossi | October 09, 17:07 CET

BTW, TvByTheNumbers has a "Cancellation Bear" that eats up shows based on whether or not they are likely to be cancelled. According to the Twitter account, it's not in danger yet, even after the third episodes ratings.

You can see their full renew/cancel index for ABC here: Renew/Cancel Index, ABC (that's as of last week's ratings). They've been pretty accurate in the past, from what I recall.

JMaloney | October 09, 17:16 CET

I have a feeling that without "The Voice" to go up against, AoS will begin steadily building audience.

I never understood why over-50 viewers are considered such non-entities to the networks. Seems like it should be the other way around. Older people who have been working for decades, have mostly paid off their mortgages and whose kids have finished college and moved out, should have a lot more disposable cash than 20-somethings with low job prospects and crushing student loans.

AndrewCrossett | October 09, 17:21 CET

TvByTheNetwork are a hit or miss when it comes to renewal/cancellation forecast. For instance, they were absolutely adamant Dollhouse would have been cancelled at the end of Season One. I too, think and hope that ABC have patience with the show and give it time to develop, and there's also the great benefit of ABC and Marvel being under the same Disney umbrella, but I'm also disappointed with the ratings. AoS has wider appeal than this. I realize it's against two juggernauts, but I simply expected better live show up.

Perseo | October 09, 17:25 CET

To be fair Perseo, there wasn't a person on planet Earth that wasn't absolutely adamant that Dollhouse was going to be cancelled ;-) That's one of the biggest miracles in television history.

VaughnOfTheDead | October 09, 17:32 CET

TvByTheNetwork are a hit or miss when it comes to renewal/cancellation forecast. For instance, they were absolutely adamant Dollhouse would have been cancelled at the end of Season One.

I don't think you can hold that against them. Dollhouse was the lowest-rated show ever to get a renewal, and everyone... including Joss... was somewhat taken by surprise when it did.

I don't think AoS is anywhere near in danger yet, but I think its audience is far smaller than ABC/Disney was hoping for. My biggest fear is not that they'll cancel it, but that they'll bring in new showrunners. Don't know if they'd want to risk alienating Joss with a move like that, though.

AndrewCrossett | October 09, 17:33 CET

ABC's own take about the ratings:

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (8-9pm - 7.7 million and 2.8/9 in AD18-49): Pacing within 3-tenths of the prior week's Fast Affiliate rating - (3.1/10 - Please note: last week the show went up 2-tenths of a rating point in the Nationals to a 3.3 rating), ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ranked #1 in the 8pm hour, tying NBC's The Voice (2.8/9) and beating in CBS' NCIS (2.7/8). It was the #2 TV show on Tuesday in Adults 18-49, just 1-tenth shy of NBC's 2-hour The Voice for #1. For the 3rd week in a row, the ABC drama dominated its hour across all key Men demos (M18-34/M18-49/M25-54) to rank as Tuesday's #1 TV show on all 3 measures.

· The season's #1 new show, S.H.I.E.L.D. more than doubled ABC's Adult 18-49 delivery in the hour from the year-ago night (+115% over a Dancing special at 1.3/4).

· Delivering increasing gains in early TV playback (+48% in Week 2 vs. +38% in Week 1), S.H.I.E.L.D.'s 2.8 Live + Same Day rating is projected to go up to a 4.1- 4.2 Adult 18-49 rating in the Live + 3 Day numbers (based on a 48% increase in L3 last week). The show has also been adding 3.5 million viewers in L3.

Numfar PTB | October 09, 17:33 CET

I just want to watch a Joss show and not worry about ratings for once :(

D-e-f- | October 09, 17:38 CET

@AndrewCrosset, my guess is that a sizable chunk of over 50 live on fixed incomes and are not a reliable benchmark to measure advertising impact?

The show needs time. There are awkward moments but all the ingredients exist. I feel positive that the show will be okay.

hann23 | October 09, 17:40 CET

AOS will certainly get a back 9 and almost certainly a renewal for S2 but I think these numbers will be a disappointment to ABC/Disney. You don't hope your spin off of a megahit show that premiered at nearly a 5 in the demo will drop 2 points in 2 episodes, and that's with The Voice being a clip show.

Heavs | October 09, 17:41 CET

I know Dollhouse was a glitch in the general system, but IMO at TVBTN they're a little bit too strict in their criteria. Basically we don't know the economic reasoning behind every show's renewal/cancellation, and their method is too clear cut.

AndrewCrossett, new showrunners.. well, I don't think you could do that without pulling Joss out of the equation as well. I just don't see it happening.

Let's hope the national ratings are upped, at least..

Perseo | October 09, 17:43 CET

I would be SHOCKED if this show gets cancelled, even if the ratings dip to the low 2s. I would think ABC would try a few changes, like lowering the budget or moving to another time slot before canceling. The Marvel brand provides too much potential to bail on this early.

Besides, like others are saying, it still beat NCIS last night. I think that alone is a victory. The ratings are still decent, even if they aren't spectacular. Plus, ABC is finally drawing a male audience. I wouldn't sweat it just yet.

SuperScuba | October 09, 17:49 CET

These ratings are very good. AoS will get a second season. Context is everything. I know the drama of picnicking over ratings can be exciting but there is no reason to do so in this case. Of course some of you enjoy it so very much. :) Carry on.

IrrationaliTV | October 09, 17:55 CET

It's just not working for me. I liked Dollhouse better at this point. It's very generic and procedural. They need to make it a little more serialized and add some elements of magic/supernatural (considering the Marvelverse is so big). I have high expectations for Joss projects, and SHIELD isn't meeting them.

watcherinthewoods | October 09, 18:03 CET

A Whedon show beat NCIS in ratings. That's just... wow.

In the key demo, I mean. Not in total. That could never happen.

[ edited by Sunfire on 2013-10-09 18:05 ]

Sunfire | October 09, 18:04 CET

These ratings are not very good, but they will ensure the show gets its back 9 and likely get its second season. But here is something no one is talking about: one of the reason that NCIS gets high ratings is that the older people who watch can be counted on, week after week, to watch. They are not tech-drive to look at alternate delivery systems, and so on. The demographic for AoS is younger, and so is not as loyal to specifically watch TV any more. Their attention span differs, they watch via Hulu or other, they do not always watch when broadcast, etc.

Dana5140 | October 09, 18:05 CET

NCIS' ratings are down because Ziva is gone. I expect its ratings will continue to lower and eventually stabilize.

watcherinthewoods | October 09, 18:06 CET

No, we younger viewers are not loyal to tv anymore. We're rare, like unicorns. We're harder to catch.

Sunfire | October 09, 18:07 CET

I am a younger viewer (27) who is loyal to TV/timeslots. I was watching SHIELD live up until this week. The one minute of overun (to 9:01 PM) means I've shifted it to my DVR. My favourite TV show is Supernatural and I'm not missing one minute of my favourite show because of ABC's annoying ratings strategy. I'd rather have one smooth night of shows (The Originals/Supernatural on the CW) and then watch SHIELD later (as opposed to watching all of SHIELD except for the last minute, then shifting to Supernatural, then watching the final minute of SHIELD that I had to record).

watcherinthewoods | October 09, 18:16 CET

I like to call us brave monkeys.

I'll get my coat.

gossi | October 09, 18:20 CET

We are totally getting through those sensors.

Sunfire | October 09, 18:29 CET

You guys misunderstand me. When I say younger folk are not loyal to TV, I simply meant it as the delivery medium for content. That is, you might watch television programs via alternate delivery methods, such as Hulu. I thought of this because this past weekend, I was visiting my son, and he was proudly showing off his new iTV box, so that when he turned on his TV he could choose from all these different systems: netflix, Hulu, youtube, network TV, etc. All I was saying is that older folk likely still simply go to their TV and watch programs there; younger folk may choose many different options for how they view a program- and this may impact the fast initial ratings. Got it? :-)

Look, my TV is 15 years old. So, when I watch TV, I watch a show only when it comes on. Otherwise, I wait for a full season DVD set to be released. I do not watch a program at a time when it was not broadcast. But I bet many people here, do.

[ edited by Dana5140 on 2013-10-09 18:45 ]

[ edited by Dana5140 on 2013-10-09 18:46 ]

Dana5140 | October 09, 18:45 CET

You're reminding me of an article I read today, link:.

Simon | October 09, 18:49 CET

Marvel has stated several times that they're not introducing any magic or supernatural elements into the cinematic universe.

So poo :(

Grack21 | October 09, 18:49 CET

Younger viewers are definitely time shifting TV. Not only that, they're also spending significant amounts of times on other entertainment systems (YouTube, Netflix, games). I mean, the biggest entertainment products (in terms of dollars) right now ain't Hollywood movies - it's video games. Grand Theft Auto 5 was released the week before SHIELD, and it's already made a billion dollars. So certainly, viewer attention is all over the place and Hollywood is undergoing a hard time because of that.

gossi | October 09, 18:51 CET

Obviously, Fox is to blame, somehow.

Grack21 | October 09, 18:55 CET

Am I reading this wrong or do these numbers still look pretty good? I don't really understand how the system works, but the rating is the 2nd highest all evening, the rating share is the highest and total number of viewers is still 5th out of the 15 listed programmes. Comparing it to the the other programmes on the network, it is doing better than the The Goldbergs and far, far better than Scandal (on its third series isn't?)

There might be a little bit of disappointment following the dip from the high numbers that it began with, but we are certainly not in cancellation territory and I'm sure that that was anticipated, to some extent. At the very most, it might have a bit of a budget cut.

Vandelay | October 09, 19:00 CET

The numbers are pretty solid. It's #1 for the night in all the demographics ABC targeted the show at, and is dominating $100k income families. The question is always going to be where does it level out, and can they build from that? I do believe, once people are eased into the world, the creative stakes can be raised without going TOO serial, which should drive viewers.

gossi | October 09, 19:06 CET

Still matching the trajectory of THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES and V. It'll get a back 9 and a second season.

I wonder if the the NCIS-lite elements are turning off younger people while the sci-fi elements are alienating adults.

The Dark Shape | October 09, 19:09 CET

They are by no means terrible ratings, but the large drop off and the starting at a nearly 5.0 demo and dropping to a 2.8 in 3 episodes isn't necessarily encouraging for an expensive show based on a billion $$ world wide mega hit. Especially when looking at other scf-fi shows that started huge and quickly dropped away. The Voice was also a clip show last night so there the question of that again next week.

Its not going anywhere soon, I expect a back 9 announcement any minute, but it can't afford to keep dropping any more. I think it might stabilise in the final ratings though.

Heavs | October 09, 19:18 CET

I'd wager money that AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. will settle in that low-2s range that BONES and CASTLE know so well. It'll just be a question of whether the show is too costly to run for multiple seasons at that level.

The Dark Shape | October 09, 19:23 CET

Is Hollywood so cynical in attitude an entire shows ratings can be summed up in 3 episodes? I mean, the answer to Hollywood's attitude is probably yes, but still. ABC have time to let the show breathe, which is time to pull people in.

gossi | October 09, 19:29 CET

Is Hollywood so cynical in attitude an entire shows ratings can be summed up in 3 episodes?

The show has lost 40% of its audience in two weeks. Yes, that's important. (Especially when the 8 p.m. VOICE was basically a repeat.)

The Dark Shape | October 09, 19:35 CET

Vandelay - that was a repeat airing of Scandal. The season premiere last week got a 3.6, pretty great for a show that started around the 2 mark in the 18-49 demo.

manbearpig | October 09, 19:43 CET

@Heavs: Didn't the article with Jeff Bell mention that AoS had half the budget of "Game of Thrones"? I expect only the bean counters know how expensive the show actually is (compared to other shows), and what benefits the network is looking for.

OneTeV | October 09, 21:23 CET

Sunfire: We're rare, like unicorns.

After watching "Cabin in the Woods", I don't think we should upset Sunfire & friends.

OneTeV | October 09, 21:26 CET

Agents of SHIELD just needs to hit a few home runs and generate a buzz about what it is. All the momentum thus far has been about what the show could be.

I would love to see Tim Minear, Ben Edlund and Jane Espenson write for this show even if only as guest writers. And more episodes from Joss, of course!

Hjermsted | October 09, 21:37 CET

"Bean counter" oh how people in finance (like me for instance) love that term. Or you know the opposite as it is insulting and reductive. Game of Thrones is notoriously the most expensive show in TV. Being half its budget is a nice budget if Mr. Bell's comment was factual rather than the probable off the cuff remark. That being said there are so many revenue stream synergies with it being a Marvel/ABC Studios production and being on ABC that the ratings would have to be really really really bad in order for it to be an issue. And no matter what some people's opinions are these ratings don't even approach kinda bad.

I bet the entire show is paid for on foreign network sales alone. Easily, in fact. And that is the tip of the iceberg on the revenue ABC/Marvel/Disney will see from this show.

IrrationaliTV | October 09, 21:38 CET

1) I work at ABC, and AoS has been a tad bit disappointing, but the network is nonetheless thrilled that it has a show doing this well.

2) TVByTheNumbers has no idea how the renewal process works. It doesn't account for shows' budgets, personal/creative politics, synergetic studio/network relationships, etc.

3) There's not a chance in hell AoS isn't getting a second season. It's not even really up to ABC. Marvel has so much power within Disney, that Bob Iger will ensure that it happens. Worst case scenario is that it tanks (a la Smash on NBC), and they "reboot" the second season and hope for the best.

marvelknight616 | October 09, 21:44 CET

The Voice didn't air against SHIELD last night, nor will it air against SHIELD again until its December finale. The Voice began its regular one-hour Tuesday-nights-at-9-PM timeslot last night with a clip show.

watcherinthewoods | October 09, 21:44 CET

watcherinthewoods, the clip show aired at 8pm.

IrrationaliTV | October 09, 21:48 CET

That's odd. I checked and apparently it was 2 hours and started at 8, but both my DVR guide and Entertainment Weekly listed it as a 1-hour recap from 9-10.

Either way, going forward, SHIELD's falling ratings can't be blamed on The Voice.

[ edited by watcherinthewoods on 2013-10-09 22:19 ]

watcherinthewoods | October 09, 22:17 CET

Ratings update; adjusted up to 2.9, 7.87 million viewers. Tying The Voice for 18-49. My idea? Trying an episode in another timeslot and see how it does.

Perseo | October 09, 22:29 CET

Final ratings have been adjusted UP slightly, from 7.79m to 7.87m viewers, and from 2.8 to 2.9 in the 18-49 key demo. So, good news there.

VaughnOfTheDead | October 09, 22:29 CET

It looks like there's a trend there, with AoS spilling into the 9 pm timeslot.

Perseo | October 09, 22:45 CET

I dunno, Perseo--unless the ratings get actually bad, moving the show around seems like a dangerous idea. Show's doing fine, let's leave it be. If there's a bigger audience for it, they'll come to the show eventually with ratings like these.

sumogrip | October 09, 22:47 CET

There are two problems at work here, in my opinion: the show is getting bad (I think largely unjustified) buzz, probably related to a misconception about the show's nature (many people assumed Agents of SHIELD would include superheroes), and the fickle nature of today's watching audiences. If it levels out around the 2.5's, is this what ABC/Marvel wants? I certainly hope so, I'm loving the show, and it deserves a long run. But I also hope it would be a more successful show from the beginning, and maybe some shake-up would obtain that. But if the network is okay with these type of ratings to greenlight Season 2, all the more power to them.

Perseo | October 09, 22:55 CET

ABC couldn't move the show - all the shows on Tuesday are new this season, and SHIELD is their lead in. If they move SHIELD, they write off the night.

gossi | October 09, 23:09 CET

watcherinthewoods, NBC did a late schedule change and spun The Voice over 2 hours last night. (Smart move for them).

gossi | October 09, 23:10 CET

Gossi, do you think having The Biggest Loser next week would help Agents of SHIELD in being sampled by some of NBC's viewers? Or the ratings depend solely on the show's quality?

Perseo | October 09, 23:19 CET

Ratings very rarely directly correlate to quality. Thinking that the show would rate higher if it was more like how "you" (generic you) want it to be is more than a little cray cray. :)

IrrationaliTV | October 09, 23:40 CET

I keep thinking about this, and the current rating is about right. In movies, every demographic is wanted. The one 52 y.o. father paying for the six kids -- all valid, necessary - completely ignored by TV. For budget, renewal: Disney will be taking all the demos into account, and the success of it will only come into focus when you take into account all the merchandising, 12-17, +3, everything.

I'm sure a lot of families, the following day, watch it a few hours earlier than its timeslot, and maybe kids will watch it after school. The Avengers hasn't just disappeared - it has just highlighted who actually watched The Avengers.

Jaymii | October 10, 00:47 CET

I taped 2 and 3 because as I'm a baseball fanatic I'm glued to the TV watching all the playoff games (and I'm sure I'm not the only person who tuned in for the first epi and now is watching baseball).

Hopefully I can get caught up this weekend.

Reddygirl | October 10, 02:17 CET

ABC/Disney can't be that happy with how the ratings are going. Not after spending all that money building up more hype than god and posting those impressive pilot numbers, just to see it fall into the 2's within 2 episodes.

Kaan | October 10, 05:03 CET

There's more chance of channel hoppers finding it if there's nothing else they watch at the same time, Perseo. But ratings and quality rarely go together.

gossi | October 10, 09:19 CET

oops! wrong thread. my bad. sorry.

[ edited by bivith on 2013-10-10 14:21 ]

bivith | October 10, 11:31 CET

sorry.

[ edited by bivith on 2013-10-10 14:22 ]

bivith | October 10, 11:38 CET

This is actually a rating thread, episode discussion gets discussed in the relevant thread (which can be found linked on the right hand side of the front page).

Simon | October 10, 11:57 CET

Ugh, I really thought I wouldn't have to worry about the ratings this time, but here we are and the show sure looks expensive. Still, I'm quite confident it'll stick around long enough to blow the viewers' mind eventually.

veraishq | October 10, 15:31 CET

Yes, but will viewers stick around? I feel like I've been suckered into watching a procedural with superheroic trappings. It's off my DVR.

watcherinthewoods | October 10, 17:01 CET

I looked at last night's (Wednesday) ratings and AoS did a better rating than every show on network but 1 (Modern Family) and is now the 6th highest rated show for Mon-Wed. Yeah. This is really bad. :)

IrrationaliTV | October 10, 17:38 CET

Now approved for a full season.

Dana5140 | October 10, 18:47 CET

October 09 2013