Comprised of back-to-back episodes, Tuesday’s “The Expanse” broadcast represented the season one finale.
The finale aspect theoretically added some appeal. That appeal was countered, however, by the fact that the broadcast not only faced competition from FX’s “People v. OJ Simpson” premiere but extended into the traditionally lower-rated 11PM-12AM hour.
The episodes’ average performance ultimately trailed that of last week’s installment.
Per Nielsen cable data, Tuesday’s “Expanse” averaged a 0.20 adults 18-49 rating and 555,000 total viewers across its two hours of broadcast. Last week’s one-hour episode posted a 0.25 with 721,000 total viewers.
While not a strong live+same-day ratings performer, “The Expanse” offered enough brand value — and demonstrated enough multi-platform success — to score an early second season renewal.