It’s about one month into fall TV, and the scorecard is looking surprisingly good. Both of The CW’s series launches brought record ratings to the network, with The Flash and Jane the Virgin fitting in seamlessly with the channel’s younger audiences. Gotham continues to perform well for Fox, ABC’s Shonda Rhimes Thursdays are a big success and CBS has ordered full seasons for all four of its new shows (Scorpion, Madam Secretary, NCIS: New Orleans and Stalker).

Ratings are good enough for most of the new fall shows that so far, only one major broadcast series has been canceled - ABC’s Manhattan Love Story was taken off the schedule Oct. 24, four weeks into its run. This time last year, many more series had already been given the axe (ABC’s Lucky 7 and CBS’ Made in Jersey were both canceled in the past two years after only two episodes).

Many sources are attributing this year’s longevity to more patience from TV executives in giving new shows more time to find their footing, but it’s also thanks to delayed viewers, DVRing new favorites or watching online later in the week.

With L+7 ratings and projections, shows like Fox’s Red Band Society have shown that they can entice audiences that may not have the time to watch on Wednesdays, or choose other shows during that time slot. ABC’s How to Get Away with Murder broke TV records with almost 7 million viewers watching its debut episode in the week after its official premiere.

Episodes often double their viewers throughout the week because of DVR playback and online outlets like Hulu playing each show, which some broadcasters read as their ability to attract and keep viewers on their own time.

Read more at Variety.

Brief Take: Paired with increasing patience on the broadcasters’ end, delayed viewing is becoming a blessing in disguise for networks this season.

[Image courtesy of Fox]

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