Brace yourself, Annie
“Dallas” wrapped up its season on one of the most competitive nights of the year — and it has the numbers to prove it.
The two-hour season finale debuted September 22 to approximately 1.72 million viewers, the show’s smallest Monday audience this year, according to Nielsen. This included 560,000 adults between ages 18 and 49, a group advertisers pay top dollar to reach.
“Dallas” fans and people who work on the show were hoping it would get a lift from the much-touted finale, in which TNT promised one of the show’s main characters would be killed off.
“Could the numbers have been better? Yes, but this was a tough night to end the season on,” said Marc Berman, editor of TV Media Insights, an industry news site.
The season finale consisted of two episodes, “Endgame” and “Brave New World,” that aired from 9 to 11 p.m. in most time zones. The competition included the season premieres of NBC’s “The Voice,” which averaged 12.7 million viewers from 8 to 10, and “The Blacklist,” which drew 12.5 million viewers from 10 to 11. The debut of the CBS crime drama “Scorpion” scored 14 million viewers from 9 to 10.
On cable, “Dallas’s” competition included ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” which averaged 13.3 million viewers throughout the evening.
“Dallas’s” September 22 audience is down about 8 percent from one week ago, when “Boxed In” debuted to 1.86 million viewers, including 540,000 viewers between ages 18 and 49. However, “Boxed In’s” total audience climbed to 2.8 million viewers when you count DVR users who recorded the episode and watched it within three days of its debut.
The other dramas on TNT’s late summer/early fall schedule aren’t faring better than “Dallas.” On September 17, the Wednesday entries “Legends” and “Franklin & Bash” drew 1.63 million and 1.52 million viewers, respectively.
Overall, “Dallas” averaged approximately 1.94 million viewers on Mondays this year, down from about 2.66 million viewers on Mondays during its second season and more than 4 million viewers during Season 1, when TNT showed it on Wednesdays.
The network hasn’t announced whether “Dallas” will be renewed for a fourth season, although executive producer Cynthia Cidre told Dallas Decoder last week that the show’s writers are cranking out scripts so the series will be ready to go into production if it’s picked up.
What do you think of “Dallas’s” latest ratings? Share your comments below and read more news from Dallas Decoder.
Dallas Decoder 
Dallas is an American classic.They are morons if they don’t renew..
Put the show on another night…..or start it earlier than 9pm
IMO, Dallas did well against MNF & The Voice! Don’t forget Dancing W/the Stars was on as well!! I watch all 3 of those, but Dallas was my main focus this past Monday evening!! I’d prefer it on another night, but whatever night it’s my go to show! PLEASE RENEW!!!!! I NEED A SEASON 4!!!!!!!!!!
As I’ve said before, if it’s not renewed I would hope that they at least give them the option for a 2-hour movie to wrap everything up. We have to meet J.R.’s secret daughter.
Dallas has always been my favorite and love it even now. I am hoping a plot twist with Christopher because love the cousins at each other. How can TNT not renew this!!
I’m just heart broken by this. I will say this CB, I would anticipate a huge surge in DVR playback in the next 3 days. I wouldn’t be shocked if DVR playback went over 3 million. This competition was drastic and this was just a DOG day to air this finale and quite frankly, as my idol Bobby Ewing would say, “I’m pissed”… This is what I meant weeks ago when I said it feels like TNT contributes to the show’s ratings issue.
If TNT insists on this hideous scheduling, then the least they can do is take it on the chin when this happens and not hold it against the show. Let’s see what the live+3 story tells us. I’M PISSED.
It seems that they killed off Christopher for nothing.
No surprises. The show is too dark and depressing. Monday nights are tough. Split season concept loses viewers. Threesomes, brothels, Mexican drug lords, dead bodies, chopped off hands, gratuitous sex, gimmicky cuss words, schizophrenic and inconsistent characters are not retaining and drawing viewers. I love Dallas, but this show should be called Drug Lords de Mexico. The ratings are telling the truth, but Cynthia Cidre is in denial and thinks that her sick stories are “delicious.” Sad for long-time fans that simply want a quality show. Sad.
I completely agree John. I wanted so much more for the show. Maybe Cidre isn’t truly a fan. Maybe the writers aren’t truly fans. I don’t know. They just don’t get it.
John, those things you mentioned are things I did not like either. But, I am a fan of the original Dallas series. I think the writers did a better job in the last half of this season(Aug 18-Sept 22) than they did in the first half.Sadly, some people quit watching because they did not know how good the end would be. Let’s hope Season 4 will have Dallas back in Dallas without the drug cartels or smut.
I think it is clear that Monday’s are not the nights for Dallas, what is wrong with moving the program to a wed night where it all first started or even a thursday lineup where the competition is not so steep. TNT had to see this coming not only did Dallas go up against football, the voice, dancing with stars Dallas also had to face a low rating time slot up against GOTHAM’s opeining night. TO me these numbers do not prove anything hopefully DVR settings will rise the fianle and help save some solitude for Dallas.I hope this was only a test to see how much TNT will move Dallas and give it one more shot to raise the ratings, this season ended with a great bang and we have to have one more season
Put it on another night for God’s sake. It competes with all those other, plus Monday night football. Dallas is MEANT to be on Fridays!!!!!
I agree. The day of the week it’s is on is most likely the problem.
Dallas is one of the best shows on TV in years. They would be fools not to continue with additional seasons. The writers on this show are brilliant!!
I think the writers did a great job of turning the show around after the mid season break. However, some were probably turned off by the smut and drug cartel and did not know Dallas was cleaned up, so they didn’t watch.
What needs to happen is for Jeremy Wendell to return. He’s served his 20 years of federeal prison time.
I think the writing is on the wall. Sure, scheduling can be tough, and sometimes you get a bad break, but something has to go into the slot–you can’t always get a cushy slot based on a network’s overall scheduling needs. There’s almost no night when you can’t find something that would offer competition.
Moreover, the show was ordered up under a prevoius regieme, and with a well-chronicled desire to go in new directions, I’m not sure this will make the cut.
I say that as someone who watched every episode and enjoyed the show (and felt the modern touches were, for the most part, well executed in today’s TV environment), but reality is what it is. It was wonderful to have it back for a few years, and fitting that the new run happened to allow the series to say goodbye to J.R., but now I think we have to leave Southfork once again.
Dallas should be on Friday nights at 9pm. It did well in this time slot for umpteen years in the 80’s…what’s to say history wouldn’t repeat itself?
I just read that when including the encore the finale drew a total of 2.3… That # is decent and would be the 2nd best rating of the year. I forgot to take into account that viewers could watch later that night. The 2.3 makes it a little better.
Thank you for sharing Ghent that does sound a lot better, plus we have to include dvr settings after three days if the dvr setting, I feel confident Dallas will be renewed I personally feel TNT have been seeking out a proper time to move it out of Monday’s and that is why they are always looking against its competitors, like so many fans we want this show to prosper, I know a lot of fans were disappointed in the drug cartel and threesome scene and I believe that has hurt the ratings but after last night finale I believe Dallas will be back on the right track just need to find another time slot and night.
I think the rating were pretty good concedering what Dallas was against, think they held hier own,but would like a different night, but we want a season 4 of Da;;as. thank you
Ok- most people DVR these shows. Why can’t ratings include recording televeliskon?? I’m not understanding how we haven’t done this yet… Some people have kids that play sports. Some people work until 10. I’m just saying, why have DVR is we will lose the shows we love and can’t watch them later?
I think it sucks that the new scheduling manager killed the show. I’m done with TNT.