Every summer we get super excited about the slate of shows coming down the pipeline, and we always make these pronouncements (which we believe) about how summer television is no longer a wasteland. Compared to a few years ago, that’s still true. There’s still plenty to watch, but big hits are still few and far between, at least where it involves prestige dramas on FX, HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, AMC, etc. (and as far as I’m concerned, these are the only TV shows that matter).
This summer basically saw two new hits (minor ones) in The Strain and The Leftovers (both of which have been renewed), a couple of undeniable success stories for their particular networks (Outlander and The Knick) and the continued inexplicable dominance of True Blood in the summer and the surging popularity of Doctor Who. The best drama of the summer (in my opinion) didn’t even rank (Rectify), while the best comedy of the summer (You’re the Worst, by a mile) may not get a second season considering its low ratings, though, to be fair, You’re the Worst is not that far below The League and It’s Always Sunny (around 750,000 weekly viewers) which have gotten six seasons and ten season respectively).
Anyway, I’m always curious how these shows stack up, and nobody on the Internet offers weekly ratings for “good” shows, so here’s what the summer looked like for prestige television (and by “prestige,” I mean, “shows on networks that I watch, plus Franklin and Bash for Danger, of course).
1. True Blood — 4.04 million
2. Suits — 2.76 million viewers
3. Doctor Who — 2.58 million viewers
4. The Strain — 2.3 million viewers
5. The Leftovers — 1.85 million viewers
6. Tyrant — 1.52 million viewers
7. Ray Donovan — 1.49 million viewers
8. Franklin and Bash — 1.25 million viewers
9. The Bridge — 1.19 million viewers
10. Outlander — 1.0 million viewers
11. Masters of Sex — 730,000 viewers
12. Halt and Catch Fire — 570,000
13. Married — 550,000
14. Orphan Black — 540,000
15. You’re the Worst — 530,000
16. The Knick — 417,000 viewers
17. Honorable Woman and Rectify ratings — N/A (I’m not even sure that the Sundance channel opts into Nielsen ratings)
