“Behind the Scenes of the 2024-25 Freshman Series: What Surprising Changes and New Faces Are Shaping the Future?”
Added on March 7, 2025 inEntertainment News Cards, TV News Cards
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Ah, the chaotic landscape of the 2024-25 television season! With a mix of breakout stars and underwhelming offerings, this year’s freshman class is serving up surprises quicker than a twist ending on your favorite drama. Gone are the days when simply great writing and acting could guarantee a hit; now we have to juggle a plethora of metrics, streaming debuts, and viewers who, let’s face it, have the attention span of a goldfish. So may I ask, how many clips from shows do you think it’ll take before we finally agree on what’s a hit and what’s just a miss?
As the broadcast networks continue to morph and shuffle their lineups, let’s take a closer look at which fresh faces are burning bright—and which ones might as well be waiting for cancellation notices. Buckle up, because the current status of the 2024-2025 freshman class is a rollercoaster of ratings, renewals, and a sprinkle of drama that even reality TV would envy. Are you ready? Because I sure am! LEARN MORE
The 2024-25 season has featured some breakout and moderate hits.
With continued changes plaguing the broadcast networks, there are far more metrics to consider than a few years ago.
Check out the current status of the 2024-2025 freshman class.
The Tim Allen-fronted comedy has become ABC’s highest-rated series in the demo in live + same day results.
Season-to-date, it is pulling in around 4.6 million viewers and a 0.43 rating in the demo.
The numbers have cooled off in recent weeks, but there’s no reason to believe it won’t be a part of the network’s 2025-2026 slate.
With The Conners ending, Shifting Gears could be a great companion for Abbott Elementary.
High Potential started slow in the fall, but viewers have been checking out the show via delayed viewing, making it one of ABC’s most-watched and highest-rated series when all platforms are factored in.
Given the impressive results, there were questions about a backorder.
However, the season remained capped at 13 episodes, likely due to Kaitlin’s commitment to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Still, the series has secured a renewal for next season, which may feature an expanded episode order.
The Joshua Jackson cruise ship medical drama had a big promotional campaign, so it’s surprising the series has underperformed in the ratings.
ABC is trying to boost its numbers in the second half of the season with a two-part shark-attack-themed midseason premiere and a 9-1-1 crossover.
9-1-1 is a dominant force in the ratings, so the hope will be to send the numbers upward.
But we’re not convinced it will secure a renewal unless it gets a considerable boost.
CBS’s new offering has a stellar cast, led by Morris Chestnut, but it doesn’t use any of them very well.
Despite solid initial viewership, the numbers have fallen, and the series is tracking behind its timeslot predecessor, The Equalizer, in the demo.
Given that CBS effectively sacrificed The Equalizer, the network clearly expected much better.
It’s a toss-up right now, but the next few episodes will decide the series’ fate.
By this point, we’ve learned never to count out The Big Bang Theory franchise, and Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage is proving the naysayers wrong.
The spinoff is putting up numbers just behind what sire Young Sheldom managed last season.
It should be a CBS mainstay for the years to come.
Reboots may be fizzling out left, right, and center, but Matlock is an example of a reboot done right.
It has a compelling plot that pays homage to the original and a must-watch lead in Kathy Bates.
The numbers have been miraculous and signal a long and happy future.
The latest entry in the NCIS franchise hasn’t set the ratings on fire, but it has pulled in enough viewership to secure another season.
The franchise’s decision to return to the past has allowed it to create its most cost-effective series because it doesn’t rely on returning stars to keep the story going.
CBS is high on the NCIS franchise and wants to keep it around for long.
Poppa’s House has been a moderate performer for CBS, but it did secure a five-episode backorder. That’s usually a good sign.
However, the network has yet to commit to another season, despite making decisions about many other scripted series in late February.
With a Neighborhood spinoff in the mix for next season, the network may want to proceed with that and nix Poppa’s House.
The medical drama genre experienced a resurgence during the 2024-2025 season, but Brilliant Minds‘ on-air numbers didn’t quite reach a level that guaranteed a renewal.
However, it benefits from solid post-airdate viewing, which puts it above The Irrational, Law & Order, and Found, so there is a case for renewal.
But it will all come down to whether NBC wants to try something new post-The Voice.
The 10 p.m. timeslot is tough, but The Hunting Party loses a lot of The Voice lead-in, which is never a good sign.
However, the series is still in its infancy, so we must wait for more ratings data.
But our first impressions are not good. Given the marketing, it should be doing better, but again, the 10 p.m. timeslots across the broadcast networks are struggling to keep up the pace.
St. Denis Medical has been one of NBC’s stronger scripted shows in live and same-day metrics, currently pacing ahead of Law & Order.
The network has had some trouble with comedies in recent years, but this mockumentary is proving resilient.
It will be interesting to see whether it keeps its usual slot next season or if NBC makes Fridays its only comedy block.
Reba McEntire’s return to primetime TV in Happy’s Place helped considerably improve NBC’s Friday night schedule.
Comedies have been few and far between on the broadcast networks in recent years, so it’s interesting that two on one network have been renewed so soon.
Maybe the broadcast networks aren’t as dead as the media would like us to believe.
Suits LA has aired only two episodes, and the numbers have not been encouraging.
Given the big hoo-ha about bringing the franchise back, 2.6 million viewers and a 0.24 rating will not keep the lights on very long. Even worse, it lost a million viewers in its second week.
Apparently, the offshoot did well on Peacock, but this has got to be a little frustrating for NBC.
Maybe Peacock would have been the better home all along.
Despite airing two episodes alongside Suits, this Desperate Housewives-meets-How to Get Away with Murder drama got off the ground with 1.8 million viewers and a – gasp – 0.17 rating.
Unless the numbers miraculously turn around in the next few weeks, it will be the unwanted plant in NBC’s garden.
It’s a shame because the series has some fun elements, but it could be due to a lack of promotion. It popped up out of nowhere.
The series is clearly an attempt to fill the void left by the 9-1-1 franchise, and it works quite well.
The numbers amount to around 3.5 million and a 0.4 rating with a week of DVR factored in, which is enough to make it one of the network’s top dramas.
It should be renewed.
The Kristen Kreuk crime drama was one of broadcast’s least-watched newbies, with an average of just over 3 million viewers and a 0.24 rating.
However, expectations were not as significant because it was a co-production with a Canadian broadcaster.
As a result, a renewal was expected, and our prayers were answered earlier this year.
On the surface, Doc may seem like a mediocre performer.
In live + same-day ratings, it is averaging around 2.3 million viewers. In the demo, it’s doing around a 0.24 rating.
But FOX shocked everyone in February when it ordered a 22-episode second season.
Such high episode orders were thought to be a thing of the past, but the show performed very well digitally, compelling the network to take the plunge and double down.
Over to you, TV Fanatics! What are your thoughts on the freshman series status update?
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