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TV This Week

For ‘Extant,’ still adrift in space, alas

CBS drama wraps up its second season with mediocre ratings

By Louisa Ada Seltzer

September 9, 2015

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extant This sounds like a rerun from last year: “Extant” is heading into its season finale, and CBS still hasn’t decided its fate.

The drama airs a two-hour second-season ender tonight at 9 p.m., with Molly, the astronaut played by Halle Berry, encountering an exact replica of herself.

While that’s a heck of a plot twist, that alone isn’t enough to convince CBS to renew the show. Last year the network waited until October to make a decision, surprising many by picking up the show for season two.

The season two ratings have been mediocre at best. “Extant” has averaged 4.73 million total viewers this season, down 23 percent from last year, according to Nielsen. The losses among adults 18-49 have been even steeper, with its audience down about a third to a 0.7 rating.

Last week’s penultimate episode tied a series low with a 0.6 in the demo.

Still, last season’s ratings weren’t that much better and CBS still renewed the show, in part because a streaming deal with Amazon made “Extant” profitable before it even aired its first episode.

That could keep “Extant” alive for another season. The network recently canceled another summer drama, “Under the Dome,” and it’s clearly eager to keep scripted programming on from June to September, having rolled out three new dramas the past two years with plans for more.

Even though “Extant” isn’t resonating with viewers, bringing it back is financially sound, and that’s a factor in the summer, when nothing is drawing really big ratings.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Time	Network	Program	Description
9 p.m.	CBS	“Extant” (D)	Season finale. In a two-hour episode, Molly gives details about Shepherd’s death.
9 p.m.	Fox	“Home Free” (R)	Season finale. The season’s winner is selected.
9:30 p.m.	NBC	“The Carmichael Show” (C)	Season finale. The family debates about gun issues when Maxine finds one belonging to Jerrod.
10 p.m.	FXX	“The League” (C)	Season premiere. Running back Marshawn Lynch is in town for the Taco Corp board meeting.
10 p.m.	TLC	“Suddenly Royal” (R)	Series premiere. Following an American who searched his family ancestry online and found out he’s heir to the throne of the British Isle of Man.
10 p.m.	Oxygen	“Snapped: She Made Me Do It” (N)	Series premiere. New addition to the true-crime franchise, this one focusing on manipulative women.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 a.m.	Netflix	“Longmire” (D)	Season premiere. The former A&E show releases its fourth season on Netflix.
8 p.m.	CW	“Beauty and the Beast” (D)	Season finale. Liam continues to out Vincent as beast and destroy his relationship with Cat.
8:30 p.m.	NBC	“NFL Football” (S)	The regular season begins with a game between the Steelers and Super Champion Patriots.
9 p.m.	UP	“Last Hope with Troy Dunn” (R)	Series premiere. An author and motivational speaker helps people track down lost loved ones.
10 p.m.	CBS	“Under the Dome” (D)	Series finale. The dome comes down, exposing the infected people to the outside world.
10 p.m.	FX	“Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll” (C)	Rehab and Bam leave the band to work as DJs.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	ESPN	“Tennis” (S)	Coverage of the men’s semifinals at the U.S. Open.
8 p.m.	ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox	“Think It Up” (A)	Fundraiser special featuring sketches and musical performances, raising money for education.
9 p.m.	OWN	“Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse” (C)	Season premiere. Marcus and Angela find out more about the teen who claims to be Marcus’ daughter.
10 p.m.	ABC	“20/20” (N)	Season premiere. The newsmagazine kicks off its 38th season.
10 p.m.	Syfy	“Z Nation” (D)	Season premiere. The group splits up ahead of a coming nuclear explosion.
10 p.m.	Cinemax	“Strike Back” (D)	Mei is now known by her real name, Li-Na, and returns to North Korea.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
Time	Network	Program	Description
12:30 p.m.	NBC	“Premier League Soccer” (S)	Should be a good matchup between Manchester United and Liverpool.
4:30 p.m.	Fox	“College Football” (S)	In-state rivalry game between Iowa and Iowa State.
8 p.m.	Lifetime	“The Murder Pact” (M)	Four girls murder a classmate but then think she’s haunting them.
8 p.m.	ABC	“College Football” (S)	Very interesting early season matchup between Oregon and Michigan State.
9 p.m.	CMT	“Johnny Cash: American Rebel” (A)	Looking at the life of the singer through 10 of his most famous songs.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Ferrell Takes the Field” (N)	Documentary following Will Ferrell as he plays in five spring training baseball games in one day.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13
Time	Network	Program	Description
7:30 p.m.	CBS	“60 Minutes” (N)	The newsmagazine will receive a nice boost from late afternoon NFL football.
8 p.m.	E!	“I Am Cait” (R)	Season finale. The new reality show wraps up its first season.
8:20 p.m.	NBC	“Sunday Night Football” (S)	An NFC East battle between the Giants and Cowboys in Dallas (well, Arlington).
9 p.m.	ABC	“Miss America Competition” (A)	The 95th annual competition, hosted by Brooke Burke-Charvet and Chris Harrison.
10 p.m.	HBO	“Project Greenlight” (R)	Season premiere. Thirteen wannabe filmmakers travel to Los Angeles before the judges select a winner.
10 p.m.	FX	“The Strain” (D)	Justine is in trouble with the mayor, and Setrakian looks for the owner of the Lumen.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama,