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‘Big Sky’ Charges Back After New Ratings Lows in Recent Weeks

It might not be much, but Big Sky is finally on the upswing after suffering abysmal losses in viewers over the course of its Season 1 return.

Big Sky felt a surefire hit for ABC with a strong 4.1 million viewers for its series premiere. Those ratings also stayed consistent over the first three episodes, peaking with Episode 2 at 4.5 million. Then, as the show returned from a mid-season break to introduce new characters and plot twists, viewers began dropping off in droves.

With 2.5 million viewers, Big Sky‘s last few Tuesday episodes were at nearly half of its peak viewership. This marked the series’ low, which TV Line cites as having an average of 3.7 million weekly viewers.

Now, fans who want longevity for the Pacific Northwestern crime noir can rest a bit easier, however. As of this Tuesday’s episode – S1 E15, “Bitter Roots” – the show is inching up from its own bottom.

At 2.63 million viewers per THR, Big Sky is finally climbing again. This, combined with a slightly higher 0.38 demo rating for adults 18-49 (see: intended audience), may mean the inaugural season can hope for a strong ending.

Don’t Count ‘Big Sky’ Out Just Yet

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Photo by: Darko Sikman via Getty Images

Even after taking a staggering 13% dip in viewership, Big Sky still holds numbers that most shows on other networks strive for. In fact, Big Sky still ranks #4 among ABC’s 8 dramas airing this TV season, TV Line cites. The network’s only shows to beat out the crime drama? Grey’s AnatomyStation 19, and The Good Doctor.

This makes it even more perplexing, though, that the show has consistently lost viewers over the course of its first season – right up until this small turning point.

A big factor at play was and is April 20’s episode, “No Better Than Dogs,” which set a previous low at 2.97 million, that led into an even bigger pit with 2.6 million for the April 27 episode. In retrospect, “No Better Than Dogs” looks to have cost the show over 13% of its total viewership – which is massive.

Is Big Sky now slowly gaining back fans? And if so, can they keep it up? Such a huge loss in viewership feels a direct reflection of (former) fans simply not enjoying the direction the thriller is taking. The show has come a long way, sure, but has this been for better or worse?

At this point, Big Sky will have to finish out its inaugural season before we know what to expect from Season 2 – ratings and story-wise.