Ratings: Can of Worms does just enough to secure its future, Suits bombs

Can of Worms seems to have weathered the critical media storm, as well as lukewarm viewer reception to post a respectable 789,000 viewers in its seventh episode on air.

And it has seemingly done it against all odds, as it is not being done any favours by Ten by having near-certified flop The Renovators as its lead in. Last night it rated a paltry 670,000.

Yes, that means it increased its audience from The Renovators lead-in.

It also survived a dangerous bump to 9:50pm some weeks ago, when Ten were messing up its schedule just to launch The Renovators.

Because of that bump, it posted 591,000 viewers.

After it got a more respectable timeslot the next week, it climbed slightly to 593,000.

Shoved back in its normal 8:30pm slot the next week, it grabbed 745,000 viewers, then of course this week, it climbed back up to 789,000.

This is around the numbers that allowed Good News Week to survive for so long, so logic dictates that Ten will keep Can of Worms.

With only 3 episodes to go until the end of the first season, it is unlikely to drop very far beneath 700,000 viewers.

Basically, Can of Worms is one of the only moderately successful new shows they have debuted this year; The Renovators has bombed, 6:30pm with George Negus is still struggling and The Defenders has been moved to One.

In other news, one of Seven's shiny new US products in Suits looks set for the scrap-heap after pulling only 383,000 viewers in its debut episode, dropping to 335,000 for its second episode.

It was soundly beaten by Q&A on 647,000.

Fans should hope Seven at least shift it to 7mate and not dump it completely.

Though Seven can take heart from the fact that the Dana Delany vehicle Body of Proof nabbed 830,000 viewers.

News: Can of Worms takes a Huge Hit in Episode 4

Yesterday I wrote a post about how Ten crowbarring The Renovators into its schedule was anything but good news for its other new show Can of Worms.
And I take no pleasure in saying that I was unfortunately correct in my estimations. According to TV Tonight, Can of Worms rated a very, very average 591,000.
It isn't disastrous, obviously, but to lose over a third of its audience is horrible- and to think it was all Ten's doing.
Yes, they want to promote their new show The Renovators (which pulled a nice 978,000 in its second outing- showing it will likely be a slow, but steady burner a la MasterChef Season 1), but why do it at the expense of a fledgling yet promising show?
I can only hope that it doesn't sink any lower next week, when there will be a similar situation- it will be extraordinarily hard to claw its way back from a sub-500,000 number, which I fear is where it's heading.

Analysis: Can of Worms' Dangerous Bump to 9:50PM: Why Have Ten Thrown a Hammer In The Works?

Can of Worms premiered on Network Ten three weeks ago, and despite a luke-warm reception to its uneven premiere and its polarising nature, its ratings have been remarkably decent and more importantly, remarkably consistent.

Most of this is due to Ten's bold strategy of thrusting it into an imposing primetime slot- Monday 8:30, following MasterChef's strong rating elimination night.

It was no doubt given a leg-up in the ratings, helping it to reach the very respectable heights of 900 thousand plus viewers.

However, this week Ten seem to have thrown a spanner in the works, or should that be a hammer, with the second episode of Ten's shiny new reality format The Renovators snatching its old timeslot of 8:30.

This forces Can of Worms to move into a later slot. Before it has even aired, I can tell you it will lose some of its coveted audience. Automatically. This is just basic television ratings 101- move a show to a later timeslot, there will be less viewers. People start going to bed, is one reason why. Another is the obvious fact that it will confuse viewers, as well as frustrate them. One of the gripes of viewers with networks is the way shows are shoved around the schedule with little notice, or consideration for viewers.

And of course there are exceptions; quality shows with a large, devoted following will rate at 9:30.

Take Summer Heights High a few years ago; Chris Lilley had built a large following due to We Can Be Heroes, and they followed in him in droves to his new timeslot.

And normally if a show changed timeslot to 9:30 it wouldn't be the end of the world... But this is 9:50, not only an irregular time-slot to put into your mental viewing diary at less than a week's notice, but also will lead to a large drop-off at around 10:30, which will severely decrease its averaged out ratings.

And viewers aren't stupid, they know when a show isn't working, it is shunted to a graveyard timeslot, and while 9:50 isn't quite that, it is close enough, and who will want to jump on board an unpopular show?

But most importantly, Ten is putting it in direct competition with Q and A- its nemesis, or older cousin, if you prefer. And CoW needs some of that Q and A audience, but who would switch to Ten after watching 15 minutes of a more established, more settled, more sophisticated program?

And that's the other thing, Can of Worms is still finding its feet, so why pull the rug out from under it?

For what it's worth: Can of Worms is actually becoming a great show, and a valuable one at that. Even if it plays too much on its controversy and "awkward" factors, at least it is aiming to be a thoughtful and intelligent show.

And I believe that once MasterChef finishes, it will return to its old timeslot, but by that stage, I fear it may be too late to regain the 300-400 thousand viewers I fear it will lose.
Will you follow the show to 9:50 or do you think everyone else will?