As television executives make their way to New York to promote a new fall lineup —
and ask themselves questions like “Will we find our own ‘This Is Us’ next year?” and “What’s the next old show we should revive?” — they are also starting to take stock of the season that is just wrapping up.
As 21st Century Fox’s executive chairman, Lachlan Murdoch, told investors last week, the performance at the network has been “frustrating for us all.”
And ABC — weathering another season without a hit while watching old franchises limp along — will finish last among 18-to-49-year-olds for the second consecutive year.
And this was a year when several returning juggernauts across all networks — shows like “The Voice,” “Modern Family”
and “NCIS” — all had rating drops of 15 to 19 percent among adults under 50.