Do cast changes hurt ratings of a show?
Q: Do ratings drop when stars are removed from a show? Specifically did the “Today” show suffer without Matt Lauer, “Roseanne” without Roseanne, and Hallmark without their lead actresses?
— JOY, SCOTT Rob: When there are cast changes on a show — or a newscast — it tends to impact ratings at least temporarily. The question is always how much and for how long?
“Today” did go through a ratings doldrums postLauer but then bounced back. “CBS This Morning” still hasn’t really recovered from the dismissal of Charlie Rose in 2017.
Ratings for “The Conners” are lower than the initial “Roseanne” revival, but even if Roseanne Barr hadn’t been fired, the ratings would likely have fallen. And “The Conners” has settled into a comfortable ratings zone and has actually benefited creatively from Barr’s departure.
As for Hallmark, Joy must be referring to “When Calls the Heart,” which was forced to drop Lori Loughlin from its cast when she became embroiled in a college admissions scandal. That was an aging series anyway, but the show’s number of viewers rose in 2019 — the cast change and noise surrounding it may have helped. The season six finale was the mostwatched episode in the show’s history, and the series returned for a seventh season on Feb. 23.
Q: Has ABC canceled “Emergence,” or is it simply on hiatus for now?
— JOE, VIA EMAIL Rob: There’s a technical answer and a realistic answer to this question.
Technically, no,
“Emergence” is not canceled and has just aired all its first-season episodes. An official decision on its fate will be made by May.
Realistically? I expect the show will not return. Ratings for “Emergence” were never good and got worse as the show went along.
While it’s true that in the current TV environment, some very low-rated shows have been renewed — meaning anything is possible — it still seems unlikely that “Emergence” will be back due to the ratings. Also, networks are now developing new series for the 2020-21 TV season, and network execs get enamored by potential new series. Hope springs eternal that a new show will perform better than an old show that’s already viewed as a ratings failure.
Q: Do the actors from old TV shows that still play in syndication (“Seinfeld,” “Married ... With Children,” “Friends,” etc.) get royalties when the shows they starred in air on television?
— CHAD, NEW ALEXANDRIA Rob: It depends what contracts were in force at the time the programs were originally produced. For most of the shows Chad mentioned, the actors are still receiving compensation for the reruns. But for older shows that’s probably not the case.
Q: Any word on what happened to KDKA-TV’s “Pittsburgh Today Live” rebroadcasts on WPCW at 1 p.m.? I believe they still advertise it’s on, but it seems to be replaced by a court show. — PAUL, VIA EMAIL Rob: “PTL” rebroadcasts were moved to 6 a.m. weekdays on Channel 19, per WPCW/KDKA general manager Chris Cotugno, who did not offer a reason why the change was made. It’s fair to assume that if the 1 p.m. time slot was financially advantageous, the show would have remained there.