Changing of the Guard? 'Empire,''Blindspot' Ratings Fall

Fox's Empire is one of the biggest shows on TV, but even the mighty can fall. This season, cracks in Empire's armor are beginning to show, and it could be that it's going to step aside to let some new hit take its place. And Empire is not the only hot series from last season that isn't doing as well this season.

Empire came back from a hiatus this week, and its ratings were down 17 percent in the 18-49 age demographic compared to its next most recent episode. Worse than that, the episode's 2.9 rating set a new series low mark that was almost 10 percent lower than the previous low point set a year ago.

Empire is the second-highest-rated series on broadcast TV behind The Big Bang Theory, but its current season has seen declining ratings and negative reactions from critics.

On NBC, last year's hottest new series, Blindspot, is not performing well in its second season. Its episode this week drew a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 age group, and that represents a new series low, as well. The rating was only good enough for fourth place in its time slot, behind The Goldbergs on ABC, Survivor on CBS, and Lethal Weapon on Fox. Among broadcast series, only Arrow on The CW drew a smaller audience.