"Emerald City" and "MacGyver" are two of the hottest new television shows airing on Friday nights. Both of the freshmen dramas have potential to make it to a second season on a night that usually struggles to churn out hits. If the shows were to be compared, it's not entirely clear which one fans would gravitate towards faster.
Ratings game
"Emerald City" started off with a solid ratings premiere, racking up 4.49 million viewers for the two-part series premiere back on January 6. As is customary, the ratings have slipped precipitously since then.
The sixth episode of the season, airing on February 3, had the lowest rating of the season so far, scoring just 2.42 million viewers, nearly half of the number that started with "Emerald City."
"MacGyver," on the other hand, has been a ratings behemoth throughout its current run, with even more longevity to back up its legitimacy. The premiere on September 23 had 10.90 million viewers. Their rating slipped too, but never below 7.27 million viewers. Since hitting that low, the show has actually rebounded, showing a popular -- if inconsistent -- appeal to the show.
Reboot city
"Emerald City" is based on the universe created by L. Frank Baum in "Oz," and has been seen as being too gritty in comparison to previous entries into the world.
The show has just a 38% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting it won't be nearly beloved as "The Wizard of Oz" or "Wicked" in the universal canon. In fact, there seems to be a good chance "Emerald City" won't be renewed beyond its current ten episode season.
Meanwhile, "MacGyver" is a revival of a series that aired on ABC for several years nearly three decades ago.
The show already saw a season extension to 22 episodes back in October, marking the success of the current series. When it comes to critical reception, though, the show actually falls short of its Friday night counterparts, receiving generally negative reviews and a 25% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. While "MacGyver" is winning the ratings competition, neither show is making a large impression on reviewers and critics, putting them both in perilous positions.
