A deep level of analysis not required to classify the premiere of ABC’s “The Quest” to be a disappointment. Its 0.7 adults 18-49 rating and 2.8 million viewership average are paltry figures even in the summer television environment.
If one did take that deep dive into the rating, however, he would find an alarming trend for ABC’s fantasy-themed reality series: the show bled viewers as it progressed.
After opening to a 0.7 rating with 3.13 million viewers from 8-8:30PM, the show slipped to a mere 0.6 rating with 2.48 million in the subsequent half hour. That failure to keep the audience engaged amplifies the level of disappointment associated with the show’s launch.
Among adults 18-49, the show placed third for the 8PM hour behind re-runs of CBS’ “The Big Bang Theory”/”The Millers” and NBC’s “Hollywood Game Night.” It bested encores of FOX’s “Sleepy Hollow” and The CW’s “The Vampire Diaries.”