Saving 'Saving Hope': Is There Hope For a Second Season?

Well, we still don’t know if Charlie Harris will ever wake from his coma. However, the only question we are possibly more desperate to have answered is whether or not this show will live to see a second season. Saving Hope has already demonstrated that it has a very passionate fanbase – starting even before the show first aired. As of now, we’ve just passed the mid-season mark, and the show’s ratings are fairly consistent, averaging about 1.47 million viewers a week in Canada and 3.07 million a week in the U.S. Here, you can see the weekly ratings in each of the two countries in which it airs:

What does this mean? It means that Saving Hope is doing very well in Canada – though not as well here in the US. That’s not to say the show is doing terribly, by any means – however, it is not doing as well as it could be, which could hold it back from being picked up for another season. It is currently ranking in its time slot – on average – in fifth place, only managing to consistently beat out the CW. Of course, CTV is the most-watched network in Canada, whereas here in the US, NBC is probably ranked number four or five (of six total) in broadcast networks. Could this have an impact in how well the show is doing? Absolutely. For instance, if the show had been picked up by the CW – which wouldn’t have been likely as the CW doesn’t really draw the type of viewers who would be interested in a medical drama – it would have done much worse than it is on NBC. The same thing could be said in reverse, had it been picked up by a stronger network – such as ABC, Fox, or even CBS.

Granted, the show does have a few drawbacks, most notably that it is playing it so safe, but overall it is a pretty fantastic medical drama, with the ability to draw an even wider range than most due to its supernatural exploration of the spirit world.I think it is safe to say that Saving Hope is going to score a second season in Canada. As the show is among its highest rated summer shows this year (no doubt helped by the fact that it’s airing on CTV), the CTV network would be crazy not to renew it for another season. However, the ratings are less than fabulous in the US – though I am fairly certain that has more to do with poor marketing on NBC’s part than due to any fault of the show itself.

The fact is, NBC not only never shows a trailer for the next week’s episode – which is the standard for any television show to tease what will be coming up next week – but they also never show a “previously on Saving Hope” reel at the opening. This makes it difficult for any new viewer to get an idea of what is going on before jumping right into the episode. This likely means that Saving Hope is not going to have a chance to gain new viewers because – if you don’t know what is going on already – the show’s concept can be confusing. All they would see going into it was some guy in a tux wandering around the hospital with no one able to see him. Without an explanation of why that is, it would be easy for a new viewer to feel lost – and thus give up on the show and change the channel.

As anyone in the US who is a consistent viewer can tell you, NBC is more focused on promoting Revolution (part of its Fall lineup) than on promoting any other show – including the shows currently airing. It is surprising, the way that NBC is treating this show, because it almost makes it seem as though NBC is hoping Saving Hope will fail. However, if that was the case – it is difficult to understand why the network picked up the show at all. One thing I do think this show has going for it is the fact that, as it is probably going to get picked up for a second season in Canada, it has a chance of getting renewed here in the US on that merit alone. For example, The LA Complex – which is also a Canadian show, picked up by the CW – is doing really well in Canada, though fairly terrible here in the US. However, in spite of its low ratings, the CW picked up the show – which began airing on July 17th – for a second season.

Of course, we don’t really know the show’s official renewal status yet, so nothing is set in stone. However, just going off the ratings, it seems almost a guarantee in Canada, though it could still go either way in the US. In all, we will just have to wait and see. What do you think – is Saving Hope worthy of a second season?

 

UPDATE (July 25,2012):

As of July 25, 2012 Saving Hope has been renewed on CTV for thirteen more episodes – or in other words, a second season! No word yet on whether or not the US network NBC will do the same.

UPDATE (September 5, 2012):

Today, TV Line reported that NBC will not be airing the final two episodes of Saving Hope. Instead, they will post the remaining episodes on their website (NBC.com) the morning after they air in Canada. In other words, prospects of another season are not looking too good – at least not as far as NBC is concerned. Here’s to hoping another network decides to save it!

UPDATE (November 16, 2012):

Canada’s network CTV has increased their season 2 episode order from 13 to 18.