Ratings for Fox’s ‘Fringe’ hit a series low as the bubble show approaches the home stretch that will ultimately determine whether it’s picked up for a fourth season.
Friday’s night episode, ‘Stowaway,’ attracted 3.8 million total viewers and a 1.3 rating in the 18-49 adult demographic. That’s an unusually high 13% drop from last week’s 1.5 rating and a new series low from the 1.4 rating set a few episodes ago.
If there’s a silver lining for ‘Fringe’ faithful it’s that there are two legitimate reasons for the decline. Daylight Saving occurred last weekend after the previous episode aired and the shift to daylight running later in the day has cut back on network ratings across the board over the past week. ‘Fringe’ was also up against the NCAA March Madness tournament last night even though ratings during that time slot were unchanged from the prior Friday.
Now for the bad news. The ‘Fringe’ lead-in show ‘Kitchen Nightmares’ only dropped 10% despite being positioned to be more affected by Daylight Saving. This is also the home stretch for ‘Fringe’ as it races toward the season three finale and needs to gain – not shed – viewers to help sway Fox’s renewal vote.
The ‘Fringe’ producers are thus far ignoring ratings this seasons and are planning ahead. Earlier this week, E! Online reported that a new “green” female FBI agent will be introduced in the season finale and potentially become a series regular in season four. Casting for that part is reportedly already underway.
If ‘Fringe’ was on the bubble pulling a 1.5 in the ratings then a 1.3 is borderline a death blow for the show’s future. ‘Fringe’ has never needed a ratings boost more than it does with the next episode premiering Friday, March 25.
