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‘Big Sky’ Continues to Fall Downward in Ratings Despite Season 2 Renewal

Big Sky fans are no doubt grateful the show will get a Season 2, so why aren’t they tuning in? Ratings continue their downward spiral, with the latest episodes reaching an all-time low for the ABC newbie.

At 2.5 million viewers, Big Sky‘s latest Tuesday episode has lost nearly half its peak viewership. This marks another series-low for ABC’s Pacific Northwest crime drama, which TV Line cites as having an average of 3.7 million weekly viewers.

According to the trade, Big Sky still ranks #4 among ABC’s 8 dramas airing this TV season. Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, and The Good Doctor all continue to best the thriller.

 The show launched as a sizeable hit for the network, but has consistently lost viewers over the course of its first season. April 20’s episode, “No Better Than Dogs,” set a previous low at 2.97 million, then followed with 2.6 million for the April 27 episode. This was a huge loss of viewership (a 13% dip), something that’s become the norm for Big Sky as it steadily declines over the course of its premiere season.

Oddly, Big Sky felt a surefire hit with a strong 4.1 million viewers for its series premiere. Those ratings also stayed consistent over the first three episodes, peaking with Ep 2 at 4.5 million.

Has ‘Big Sky’ Become its Own Worst Enemy?

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(Photo by: Darko Sikman via Getty Images)

So where’s everyone gone? For us at Outsider, Big Sky is becoming its own worst enemy, in a way. The show continues to introduce new lead characters, and none of them are engaging – or even likeable. With so much screen time being devoted to bland and/or real nasty characters, Big Sky seems to be driving its own core viewership away.

A lot – and we mean a lot – is happening on the show as of late. With new characters like Scarlet testing the audience’s acceptance of more crazy, this huge loss in viewership feels a direct reflection of (former) fans simply not enjoying the direction the thriller is taking. It has, after all, come a long way from where it began. This is typically a good sign for the longevity of a show. In Big Sky‘s case, however, it’s a stronger indication of a production team that isn’t in touch with their audience.

A big indicator of this comes from the show’s demo ratings, which have taken as steep a fall as the overall viewership ratings. As of May 6, Big Sky‘s demo (used to track the percentage of a show’s indented core audience tuning in) sits at a dismal 0.3.

While demos aren’t everything, total ratings certainly are. Ratings are the strongest (see: best) indication of a series’ chance of staying on air. As these latest ratings show, Big Sky will have a lot of making up to do with Season 1’s finale – and Season 2 as a whole – if they aim to keep ABC viewers onboard.