As I have stated for years now, TV ratings are the life’s blood of every series on the major and cable networks. The success or failure of every show is at the mercy of their ratings.
Sadly, though, the networks have become far too dependent on the very limiting 18-39 year old viewers and are continuing to ignore and overlook the rest of the viewers who are outside of that age group. I have had a problem with that close-minded thought process ever since I reached my 40’s.
Needless to say, I have made it my mission to only focus on the overall viewership (the millions of viewers who watched each show) of the major and cable network dramas. Each section below will feature a list of all the dramas (and dramas only) from highest to lowest rated and a brief explanation of the time period for which each list covers.
Here we go…
The first list is the major network dramas that aired from January through June, covering the last half of the 2015-2016 TV season:
NCIS (CBS) – 16.2 million
NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) – 12.9 million
Empire (FOX) – 10.3 million
Blue Bloods (CBS) – 10.4 million
Madam Secretary (CBS) – 9.8 million
Scorpion (CBS) – 9.6 million
Criminal Minds (CBS) and The X-Files (FOX) – 9.1 million
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) – 8.8 million
Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) – 8.6 million
The Good Wife (CBS) – 8.2 million *
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – 7.8 million
Chicago Med (NBC) – 7.6 million
Chicago Fire (NBC) – 7.5 million
Supergirl (The CW) – 7.2 million
The Mysteries of Laura * (NBC) and Code Black (CBS) – 7 million
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (CBS) – 6.8 million
The Blacklist (NBC) – 6.6 million
CSI: Cyber (CBS) – 6.4 million *
Scandal (ABC) – 6.3 million
Limitless (CBS) – 6.2 million *
Castle (ABC) – 6.1 million *
Blindspot (NBC) – 6 million
Elementary (CBS) – 5.8 million
Shades of Blue (NBC) and How to Get Away With Murder (ABC) – 5.1 million
Lucifer (FOX) and Heartbeat * (NBC) – 4.6 million
Rosewood (FOX) and The Catch (ABC) – 4.2 million
Nashville (ABC) – 4 million *
Gotham (FOX) – 3.9 million
Heroes: Reborn * and Grimm (NBC) and Once Upon a Time (ABC) – 3.8 million
American Crime (ABC) – 3.7 million
Quantico (ABC) – 3.6 million
The Flash (The CW) – 3.5 million
The Family (ABC) – 3.2 million *
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) – 3 million
Sleepy Hollow (FOX) and Of Kings and Prophets * (ABC) – 2.9 million
Second Chance (FOX) – 2.5 million *
Arrow (The CW) – 2.4 million
Marvel’s Agent Carter * (ABC) and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (The CW) – 2.1 million
Supernatural (The CW) – 1.8 million
The 100 (The CW) – 1.4 million
iZombie (The CW) – 1.3 million
Reign and The Vampire Diaries (The CW) – 1.1 million
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW) – 957,000 viewers
Jane the Virgin (The CW) – 948,000 viewers
The Originals (The CW) – 924,000 viewers
* denotes all those shows that have since been cancelled or came to a planned ending
The second list covers all of the cable network dramas from that same time period – January through June:
The Walking Dead (AMC) – 13.1 million
Game of Thrones (HBO) – 7.7 million
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC) – 5 million
The People vs. O.J. Simpson (FX) [mini-series] – 3.3 million
The Haves and Have Nots (OWN) – 3 million
Major Crimes (TNT) – 3.2 million
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) – 2.7 million *
If Loving You Is Wrong (OWN) – 2.3 million
Vikings (History Channel) – 2.2 million
Better Call Saul (AMC) and Good Witch (Hallmark Channel) – 2.1 million
American Horror Story (FX) – 2 million
When Calls the Heart (Hallmark Channel) – 1.9 million
Suits (USA Network) – 1.7 million
Pretty Little Liars (Freeform) and Bates Motel (A&E) – 1.4 million
Hit the Floor (VH1) – 1.3 million
Colony (USA Network), Billions (Showtime) and Outlander (Starz) – 1.1 million
Underground (WGN America) – 990,000 viewers
Shadowhunters (Freeform) – 959,000 viewers
Teen Wolf (MTV) – 915,000 viewers
The Americans (FX) – 904,000 viewers
The Royals (E!) – 829,000 viewers
Outsiders (WGN America) – 826,000 viewers
The Fosters (Freeform) – 805,000 viewers
Motive (USA Network) – 796,000 viewers *
The Magicians (Syfy) – 789,000 viewers
The Shannara Chronicles (MTV) – 780,000 viewers
The Night Manager (AMC) [mini-series] – 768,000 viewers
Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce (Bravo) – 689,000 viewers
Black Sails (Starz) – 661,000 viewers
Unforgettable (A&E) – 655,000 viewers *
Vinyl (Showtime) – 645,000 viewers *
Penny Dreadful (Showtime) – 594,000 viewers *
Turn: Washington’s Spies (AMC) – 566,000 viewers
Wynonna Earp (Syfy) – 558,000 viewers
The Expanse (Syfy) – 520,000 viewers
Damien (A&E) – 478,000 viewers *
Recovery Road (Freeform) – 459,000 viewers *
12 Monkeys (Syfy) – 402,000 viewers
Lost Girl (Syfy) – 391,000 viewers *
Stitchers (Freeform) – 387,000 viewers
Banshee (Cinemax) – 377,000 viewers *
Bitten (Syfy) – 347,000 viewers *
Hunters (Syfy) – 315,000 viewers *
Orphan Black (BBC America) – 255,000 viewers
Hap and Leonard (SundanceTV) – 262,000 viewers
Beowulf (Esquire) – 171,000 viewers (approximate) *
The Last Panthers (SundanceTV) – 51,000 viewers *
Prey (BBC America) [mini-series] – 30,000 viewers *
* denotes all those shows that have since been cancelled or came to a planned ending
NOTE: Ratings for the following shows could not be tracked down: Downton Abbey and Mercy Street (PBS).
The third list covers all of the dramas that aired on the major networks over the summer from about the end of April through about mid-September:
Person of Interest (CBS) – 6.1 million *
The Night Shift (NBC) – 5.1 million
Zoo (CBS) – 4.5 million
Bones (FOX) – 4.3 million
Rush Hour (CBS) – 3.6 million *
Game of Silence (NBC) – 3.4 million *
American Gothic (CBS) – 2.8 million *
Mistresses (ABC) – 2.7 million *
BrainDead (CBS) – 2.6 million *
Wayward Pines (FOX) – 2.5 million
Houdini & Doyle (FOX) – 2.2 million *
Aquarius (NBC) – 1.9 million *
Containment (The CW) – 1.2 million *
Beauty and the Beast (The CW) – 804,000 viewers *
* denotes all those shows that have since been cancelled or came to a planned ending
The fourth list covers all of the dramas that aired on the cable networks over the summer from about the end of June through about October:
Rizzoli & Isles (TNT) – 4.2 million *
Major Crimes (TNT) – 3.7 million
Fear the Walking Dead (AMC) – 3.5 million
The Last Ship (TNT) – 2.2 million
Greenleaf (OWN) – 2.1 million
Power (Starz) – 1.9 million
Suits (USA Network) and Chesapeake Shores (Hallmark Channel) – 1.8 million
Preacher (AMC) – 1.7 million
Hell on Wheels (AMC) – 1.6 million *
Royal Pains (USA Network) *, Murder in the First (TNT) * and The Night Of (HBO) – 1.4 million
Animal Kingdom (TNT) – 1.3 million
Pretty Little Liars (Freeform), Queen of the South (USA Network) and Ray Donovan (Showtime) – 1.2 million
The Strain (FX) – 965,000 viewers
Devious Maids (Lifetime) – 896,000 viewers *
The Fosters (Freeform) – 887,000 viewers
Motive (USA Network) – 755,000 viewers *
Dark Matter (Syfy) – 676,000 viewers
Mr. Robot (USA Network) – 672,000 viewers
Killjoys (Syfy) – 644,000 viewers
Too Close to Home (TLC) – 616,000 viewers
UnReal (Lifetime) – 534,000 viewers
Dead of Summer (Freeform) – 459,000 viewers *
Feed the Beast (AMC) – 447,000 viewers *
Scream: The TV Series (MTV) – 377,000 viewers
Guilt (Freeform) – 331,000 viewers *
Roadies (Showtime) – 307,000 viewers *
Halt & Catch Fire (AMC) – 302,000 viewers
Outcast (Cinemax) – 174,000 viewers
Cleverman (SundanceTV) – 149,000 viewers
Thirteen (BBC America) [mini-series] – 118,000 viewers *
Ripper Street (BBC America) – 104,000 viewers
Gomorrah (SundanceTV) – 94,000 viewers
The A Word (SundanceTV) – 62,000 viewers
* denotes all those shows that have since been cancelled or came to a planned ending
NOTE: Ratings for the following show could not be tracked down: Kingdom (DirecTV).
The fifth list covers the cable network dramas that aired from approximately August to mid-December:
The Walking Dead (AMC) – 11.9 million
American Horror Story (FX) – 2.9 million
If Loving You Is Wrong (OWN) – 2.2 million
Vikings (History Channel) – 2.1 million
Westworld (HBO) and Queen Sugar (OWN) – 1.8 million
The Librarians (TNT) – 1.8 million
Shooter (USA Network) – 1.4 million [does not include the new December 27 episode]
Z Nation (Syfy) – 788,000 viewers
Good Behavior (TNT) – 718,000 viewers [does not include the new December 27 episode]
Van Helsing (Syfy) – 660,000 viewers
The Affair (Showtime) – 646,000 viewers
Eyewitness (USA Network) – 639,000 viewers
The Royals (E!) – 607,000 viewers
Aftermath (Syfy) – 571,000 viewers
Incorporated (Syfy) -560,000 viewers
Channel Zero (Syfy) – 543,000 viewers
Teen Wolf (MTV) – 493,000 viewers
Falling Water (USA Network) – 481,000 viewers
Masters of Sex (Showtime) – 453,000 viewers *
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBC America) – 287,000 viewers
Salem (WGN America) – 265,000 viewers *
Quarry (Cinemax) – 180,000 viewers
Sweet/Vicious (MTV) – 182,000 viewers
Rectify (SundanceTV) – 133,000 viewers *
Undercover (BBC America) – 73,000 viewers
NOTE: Ratings for the following shows could not be tracked down: The Living and the Dead (BBC America); Ice (DirecTV); Versailles (Ovation) and Berlin Station (EPIX).
* denotes all those shows that have since been cancelled or came to a planned ending
The sixth and final list covers all of the major network dramas that aired during the first half of the 2016-2017 TV season, covering September to approximately mid-December:
NCIS (CBS) – 14.6 million
Bull (CBS) – 12.5 million
NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS) – 10.6 million
Blue Bloods (CBS) – 10 million
NCIS: New Orleans (CBS) – 9.7 million
This Is Us (NBC) and Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) – 9.4 million
Empire (FOX) – 8.6 million
Madam Secretary (CBS) – 8.5 million
MacGyver (CBS) – 8.2 million
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – 8 million
Criminal Minds (CBS) – 7.6 million
Chicago Fire (NBC) and Scorpion (CBS) – 7.4 million
Chicago Med (NBC) – 6.9 million
Lethal Weapon (FOX) – 6.8 million
Designated Survivor (ABC) – 6.5 million
Chicago P.D. (NBC) – 6.1 million
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and The Blacklist (NBC) – 6 million
Code Black (CBS) – 5.9 million
Elementary (CBS) – 5.7 million
Blindspot and Timeless (NBC) – 5.6 million
Conviction (ABC) – 4.5 million *
How to Get Away With Murder (ABC) – 4.4 million
Notorious (ABC) – 4.1 million *
Pure Genius (CBS) – 3.9 million *
Lucifer (FOX) – 3.8 million
Gotham (FOX) and Once Upon a Time (ABC) – 3.5 million
Rosewood (FOX) – 3.4 million
The Flash (The CW) and Pitch (FOX) – 3 million
Secrets and Lies (ABC) – 2.9 million
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Quantico (ABC) – 2.8 million
Supergirl (The CW) – 2.7 million
Arrow (The CW) – 2.1 million
The Exorcist (FOX) – 2 million
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow and Supernatural (The CW) – 1.8 million
Scream Queens (FOX) – 1.5 million
Jane the Virgin (The CW) – 1.3 million
Frequency (The CW) – 1.1 million *
The Vampire Diaries (The CW) – 1 million
No Tomorrow (The CW) – 966,000 viewers *
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (The CW) – 554,000 viewers
* denotes all those shows that have since been cancelled or came to a planned ending
The final analyses of all these ratings for both the major and cable networks for the entire year are as follows:
1. NCIS is once again the reigning champ, being the top rated drama on the air. CBS is still the top network overall with more dramas in the top 10 than any other network throughout the entire year. Elementary is repeating as one of the two lowest rated dramas on CBS with the soon-to-be-officially canceled new medical drama Pure Genius being the lowest rated drama on the network.
2. Grey’s Anatomy took over the number one spot for dramas on ABC with the new drama Designated Survivor placing a distant second and the last half of Scandal’s previous season right on its heels. ABC found Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. once again being its lowest rated show with Quantico only slightly ahead of it.
3. Over on FOX, Empire held onto its top spot as the highest rated network on that network with the The X-Files and small screen adaptation of Lethal Weapon coming in second and third. On the other end of things, Sleepy Hollow and Scream Queens are ranked as the lowest rated shows on the network.
4. NBC has a new number one drama in This Is Us with Chicago Fire and Chicago Med neck-in-neck for second place. The latter half of Grimm’s previous season was the lowest rated drama for the network while both Blindspot and the new time travel drama Timeless are slightly above.
5. The Flash is the top rated drama on The CW yet again with the newly relocated Supergirl taking over second place. The lowest rated shows are, once again, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and The Originals as well as the soon-to-be-officially announced No Tomorrow.
6. Despite a drop in numbers The Walking Dead is still the top rated cable network drama, beating off Game of Thrones by over 6 million viewers. American Horror Story also saw a decline in numbers for FX while Rizzoli & Isles closed out its final season with high numbers for TNT.
There is one last list, though, and it is long so be prepared. The following covers all of the made-for-TV movies, mini-series, event series and specials that aired during 2016 on both the major and cable networks for which ratings could be tracked down:
Grease Live (FOX) – 12.2 million (average over 3 hour airing)
Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love (NBC) – 11.5 million
Hairspray Live! (NBC) – 8.9 million
Madoff [2-Parts] (ABC) – 6.9 million (average)
The Passion [Live Event] (FOX) – 6.6 million
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (FOX) – 5 million (average)
Journey Back to Christmas (Hallmark Channel) – 4.8 million
My Christmas Love (Hallmark Channel) – 4.6 million
My Christmas Dream (Hallmark Channel) – 4.5 million
Love You Like Christmas and A December Bride (Hallmark Channel) – 4.3 million
A Heavenly Christmas and Sleigh Bells Ring (Hallmark Channel) – 4.2 million
Christmas List (Hallmark Channel) – 4.1 million
Every Christmas Has a Story (Hallmark Channel) – 4 million
Looks Like Christmas and The Mistletoe Promise (Hallmark Channel) – 3.9 million
Dream of Christmas (Hallmark Channel) – 3.8 million
A Nutcracker Christmas and Christmas Cookies When Calls the Heart: The Heart of Christmas (all 3 on Hallmark Channel) – 3.7 million
Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart (Lifetime) – 3.6 million
Harley & the Davidsons (Discovery) [3 night event] – 3.4 million (average over 3 nights)
Christmas in Homestead and A Wish for Christmas (Hallmark Channel) – 3.4 million
Broadcasting Christmas (Hallmark Channel) – 3.2 million
Love in Paradise (Hallmark) – 3.1 million
Unleashing Mr. Darcy (Hallmark) – 3 million
Valentine Ever After and Summer of Dreams (Hallmark Channel) – 2.5 million
Appetite for Love and Love on the Sidelines (Hallmark) – 2.4 million
Stop the Wedding, The Wedding March, A Perfect Christmas and Love on a Limb (all 4 on Hallmark Channel) and Surviving Compton (Lifetime) – 2.3 million
The Convenient Groom, Love’s Complicated, All Yours, Anything for Love, Hearts of Spring, Love By Chance, Autumn in the Vineyard, Pumpkin Pie Wars and Good Witch: Secrets of Grey House (all 9 movies on Hallmark Channel) – 2.2 million
Tulips in Spring, Summer Villa and For Love & Honor (all 3 movies on Hallmark Channel) – 2.1 million
Dater’s Handbook (Hallmark) and Girl in the Box (Lifetime) – 2 million
Date With Love and My Summer Prince (Hallmark Channel) – 1.9 million
The Breaks (VH1), Mommy’s Little Girl (Lifetime), Ms. Matched and Summer Love (both on Hallmark Channel) and Killing Reagan (National Geographic) – 1.8 million
All Things Valentine (Hallmark) – 1.7 million
Hearts of Christmas and Finding Father Christmas (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) and Summer in the City (Hallmark Channel) – 1.6 million
Sound of Christmas and I’ll Be Home for Christmas and Operation Christmas (all 3 movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 1.5 million
Suicide Note, Don’t Wake Mommy, Nightmare Nurse and The Wrong Car (all 4 movies on Lifetime) and Karen Kingsburg’s The Bridge Part 2, A Christmas to Remember and Irresistible Blueberry Farm (all 3 movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 1.4 million
Bad Sister, Manson’s Lost Girls, Newlywed and Dead, Who Killed JonBenet? (all 4 movies on Lifetime) – 1.3 million and Roots (A&E, History Channel, Lifetime and Lifetime Movie Network) [4 parts] – 1.3 million (average over 2 nights over 4 networks)
My Sweet Audrina, Pregnant at 17, The Stepchild, Dying to be Loved, You May Now Kill the Bride, Hidden Truth, Killer Coach, Boy in the Attic, Unwanted Guest, Stalked by My Doctor (all 10 movies on Lifetime) and Flower Shop Mystery: Dearly Depotted, Aurora Teagarden: The Julius House and Hailey Dean Mystery: Murder, With Love (all 3 movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 1.2 million
I Have Your Children, The Wrong Roommate, Where’s My Baby, The Maid, His Double Life, The Night Stalker, My Husband Is Missing, Mommy’s Secret, Nightmare Wedding and Heaven Sent (all 10 movies on Lifetime), All the Way (HBO), Garage Sale Mystery: A Novel Murder (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) and Wedding Bells (Hallmark) – 1.1 million
Wrong Swipe and Sister Cities (both on Lifetime), Signed, Sealed, Delivered: One in a Million, Murder She Baked: A Deadly Recipe and J.L. Family Ranch (all 3 movies on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 1 million
Aurora Teagarden: Three Bedrooms, One Corpse (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 997,000 viewers
Honeymoon From Hell (Lifetime) – 995,000 viewers
Love Always, Santa (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 959,000 viewers
The Perfect Daughter (Lifetime) – 958,000 viewers
I Am Watching You (Lifetime Movie Network) – 949,000 viewers
Jack of the Red Hearts (Lifetime) – 948,000 viewers
Killing Mommy (Lifetime) – 946,000 viewers
Garage Sale Mystery: Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 943,000 viewers
Confirmation (HBO) – 936,000 viewers
Death of a Vegas Showgirl (Lifetime) – 935,000 viewers
Backstabbed (Lifetime) – 918,000 viewers
The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story (Lifetime) – 901,000 viewers
Pretty Little Addict (Lifetime) – 889,000 viewers
I Know Where Lizzie Is (Lifetime Movie Network) – 881,000 viewers
Break Up Nightmare (Lifetime) – 880,000 viewers
Flower Shop Mystery: Mum’s the Word (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 879,000 viewers
Day of Reckoning (Syfy) – 866,000 viewers
Murder She Baked: The Peach Cobbler Mystery (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 861,000 viewers
Broken Promises (Lifetime) – 837,000 viewers
Sorority Nightmare (Lifetime) – 831,000 viewers
Gourmet Detective: Death Al Dente (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 825,000 viewers
Seduced (Lifetime) – 815,000 viewers
Signed Sealed Delivered: From the Heart (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 807,000 viewers
The Inherited (Lifetime Movie Network) – 794,000 viewers
The Wrong Child (Lifetime) – 786,000 viewers
Karen Kingsbury’s A Time to Dance (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 782,000 viewers
The Crooked Man (Syfy) – 772,000 viewers
Trust No One (Lifetime) – 751,000 viewers
Sandra Brown’s White Hot (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 750,000 viewers
Amish Witches: The True Story of Holmes County (Lifetime) – 747,000 viewers
Love Under Management (TV One) – 728,000 viewers
Trapped Child (Lifetime) – 728,000 viewers
The Last Bid (Lifetime) – 715,000 viewers
A Father’s Secret (Lifetime Movie Network) – 714,000 viewers
Perfect Sisters (Lifetime) – 713,000 viewers
Mother, May I Sleep With Danger (Lifetime) – 707,000 viewers
Center Stage: On Pointe (Lifetime) – 700,000 viewers
A Mother’s Escape (Lifetime Movie Network) – 696,000 viewers
The Ultimate Legacy (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 691,000 viewers
Inspired to Kill (Lifetime Movie Network) – 688,000 viewers
Remote Paradise (Lifetime Movie Network) – 665,000 viewers
Who Killed My Husband (Lifetime) – 659,000 viewers
Shadows of the Dead (Syfy) – 651,000 viewers
Ten Year Reunion (Lifetime) – 643,000 viewers
Below the Surface (Lifetime Movie Network) – 633,000 viewers
Flower Shop Mystery: Snipped in the Bud (Hallmark Movies & Mysteries) – 619,000 viewers
Stake Land 2 (Syfy) – 616,000 viewers
Her Last Will (Lifetime Movie Network) – 609,000 viewers
Little Girl’s Secret (Lifetime) – 608,000 viewers
Night Before Halloween (Syfy) – 605,000 viewers
Dead 7 (Syfy) – 579,000 viewers
And Then There Were None (Lifetime) [2-parts] – 565,000 viewers (average)
Finders Keepers (Syfy) – 562,000 viewers
The Watchers (Lifetime) – 546,000 viewers
Best-Selling Murders (Lifetime Movie Network) – 485,000 viewers
Letter Never Sent (Lifetime Movie Network) – 462,000 viewers
The Secrets She Kept (TV One) – 370,000 viewers
Casa Vita (Lifetime Movie Network) – 364,000 viewers
Bad Dad Rehab (TV One) – 358,000 viewers
Girlfriends of Christmas Past (UP Channel) – 352,000 viewers
Season’s Greetings (UP Channel) – 284,000 viewers
Jean of the Joneses (TV One) – 273,000 viewers
Merry Christmas Baby (UP Channel) – 267,000 viewers
Second Sight (TV One) – 233,000 viewers
Chasing Waterfalls (TV1) – 222,000 viewers
Ringside (TV One) – 218,000 viewers
30 Years to Life (TV One) – 203,000 viewers
The Dresser (Starz) – 109,000 viewers
Rebellion (5-part] [Sundance TV] – 96,000 viewers [1 episode aired in April]
Ratings for the following made-for-TV movies and/or mini-series could not be tracked down or weren’t available in time for this post:
A Christmas in Vermont (ION)
A Cinderella Christmas (ION)
A Husband for Christmas (ION)
Anne of Green Gables (PBS)
Call the Midwife (PBS)
Christmas with the Andersons (ION)
Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio (BBC America)
Durrell’s in Corfu (PBS)
Endeavor (PBS)
Firehouse Christmas (ION)
Grantchester (PBS)
Heartfelt (ION)
Henry VI, Part I and Part II (PBS)
Indian Summer (PBS)
Inspector Lewis (PBS)
Love Finds You in Valentine (UP Channel)
Married by Christmas (UP Channel)
Mr. Selfridge (PBS)
Poldark (PBS)
Richard III (PBS)
The Game of Love (UP Channel)
The Tunnel (PBS)
Wallander (PBS)
What shows, made-for-TV movies, mini-series and/or specials have you enjoyed the most throughout the year? Please share.
TOMORROW: Faces of 2016
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PITCH: Shifting the Narrative
Posted in Commentary, News, Sports, Television on December 30, 2016| Leave a Comment »
As a young girl in August, there was Little League Baseball Championship to watch as the end of the summer dawned and school was about to start.
Depending on the summer, I would watch with family friends and we’d marvel at the twelve to thirteen year old boys who played baseball with heart.
Mo’ne Davis (Photo Credit: Brian Garfinkel/Getty Images)
In 2014, I watched again. That summer, the world met Mo’ne Davis, who was one of two girls in the final tournament.
Mo’ne Davis wowed the world, pitching a shut-out and getting a hit as a batter.
She turned heads and raised the bar about women in male-dominated sports.
Soon after that summer watching Mo’ne play with the boys, FOX had Pitch hit the small screen. What I feel in love with with Mo’ne Davis was given a few face: Ginny Baker [as portrayed by actress Kylie Bunbury.]
While Mo’ne played with pre-teen boys, Ginny Baker plays with the men. Men of Major League Baseball. It’s no easy task to be the lone girl in the room, testosterone all through the clubhouse.
What happens?
Ginny succeeds. It’s not easy, to be sure, but for a woman watching another woman play with the guys, getting there is the success.
Kylie Bunbury as Ginny Baker in Pitch
As in most of my life, there are guys who don’t trust Ginny for her skill or her finesse, but as the end of the season closed, Ginny was so close to a no-hitter.
She was just like every other pitcher who had gone through a game without a hit.
In a world where life wants to throw lemons at everyone from left and right, Ginny Baker’s success showed the world that half the population isn’t lesser than these men who hit balls over three hundred feet and throw a ball over one hundred miles an hour.
Pitch is a show that allows women to finally see that in sports, we don’t just have to play with the other girls. Mo’ne Davis and Ginny Baker are two women (one real and one fictitious) who defy odds and make it clear that just maybe the glass ceiling’s ready to be smashed in every part of society.
The message of Pitch didn’t reach as many people as I’d like, but I still hope that the ratings are good enough for another season. Ginny’s recovery from her injury is too important (and too real for sports fans) to not root for her and hope for a longer narrative.
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