A surprising show had the worst live ratings drop of summer 2019. Can you guess which one it was? As you may have surmised it was not the smash hit, Yellowstone, over on Paramount Network. This show is on network television, and it is a (sort of) revival of a much-loved ‘90s TV show. Are you still wondering what show it is? Well, wonder no more. It is BH90210.
Despite a lot of buzz beforehand, the ambitious series had the biggest live ratings drop of the summer. Between the series premiere and the penultimate episode of Season 1, BH90210 saw a 60% drop in the key demo of adults aged 18-49, per The Wrap.
It is essential to draw attention to that fact that this is regarding “live” numbers and not the ever-increasingly significant Live+3 or Live+7 numbers. In the latter regard, BH90210 has maintained 61% of its premiere rating, as of the fourth episode. The series premiere had a 2.3 rating, and Episode 4 had a 1.4 rating.
While slip and slide is a fun game to play during summer, no TV show wants live viewing to slip this much, including the cast and crew BH90210. The series opened with a robust 1.5 rating in the key demo. Fast forward to its fifth and second-to-last episode, and that rating saw a free fall to a 0.6.
How do other summer shows compare? As of now, all of the other network shows maintained at least 50% of their live premiere ratings. Those numbers mean that BH90210 lost 10% more than the competition. Making its unfortunate summer TV crown an inarguable one. What explains the drop?
Well, it is tough to know. Of course, these numbers are only taking into account those who watched live, which is a form of viewing content that is no longer as common as people watching later on their DVRs. People have busy lives, even during the summer.
BH90210 made some intriguing chances with the premise of the original show, but initially, it did not seem to hurt. A 1.5 demo rating is nothing to shake your head at. Instead of returning to reprise their beloved roles from the original Beverly Hills, 90210, the cast plays fictionalized versions of themselves.
In BH90210, the cast reunites for a reboot of the series. Not exactly what many probably had in mind for a revival after all of these years. The idea interested the network well enough, though, and earlier this year, BH90210 got the go-ahead from FOX with a series order.
Tragedy struck shortly after when original Beverly Hills, 90210 star Luke Perry passed away suddenly at the age of 52. His co-stars shared tributes, and Shannen Doherty later revealed that she only decided to do BH90210 after Perry’s death. Doherty will also guest star on an episode of Riverdale that will pay tribute to the late actor.
There was some behind-the-scenes trouble ahead of BH90210’s premiere, as the showrunner and writers quit. Regardless, the show hurtled towards its premiere and did quite well in live viewing to start. The first season was comprised of six episodes, which the cast was paid a surprising amount for. BH90210’s Season 1 finale aired last night. Could it pull off some sort of live ratings rebound? You never know.
It is unclear what impact this ratings news will have on the show’s chances for a second season right now. But, while you wonder what BH90210’s ratings performance means for its future, check out this fall’s premieres.
