After slipping to a troubling series low 0.3 adults 18-49 rating with 1.18 million viewers two weeks ago, FX’s sophomore drama “The Bridge” enjoyed a welcome rebound to a 0.5 and 1.29 million viewers last week.
That rebound did not stick.
This Wednesday’s edition set a new low performance mark for the series. While its 0.3 adults 18-49 rating matched the show’s previous bottom in the demo, the 1.13 million viewer average represents the smallest live audience ever for an episode of “The Bridge.”
And while competition from SyFy’s “Sharknado 2: The Second One” doubtfully helped matters, the movie’s modest 1.3 rating and 3.87 million viewer average hardly represent the kind of behemoth competition the show faced during the fall portion of its first season.
If there is one item of optimistic value, it is the fact that a season two episode of fellow FX drama “The Americans” drew an even smaller audience. The May 7 edition of that show posted the same 0.3 adults 18-49 rating but only 1.12 million viewers.
FX ended up renewing “The Americans” for a third season, but that show garners a level of critical prestige and buzz unrivaled by “The Bridge.” If those elements played a key role in FX’s decision to renew “The Americans,” that show’s fate might not define destiny for “The Bridge.”
