X-Files Ratings Continue to Drop

Ratings for the debut episode of Fox's revival of The X-Files were very strong, and the show's second episode, despite being inconveniently scheduled on a weeknight, delivered impressively, too. The ratings for that second episode, however, were less than half of those of the premiere, and the ratings of each episode since have fallen compared to the previous week.

The numbers for the first episode of the six-episode miniseries were huge. The episode earned a 7.8 rating in the all-important 18-49 age demographic, enough to make it the third-highest-rated series debut of the season behind The Walking Dead and Empire. That episode, though, benefitted not just from months of hype but also a prime Sunday-night time slot after a football game. The second episode, which aired on the following Monday, earned a 3.2 rating; that's big, but it's a drop of more than 50 percent, obviously.

Episode 3 aired the next Monday, and its rating dipped further, to 2.6, and episode 4, which aired on February 8, ticked downward again to 2.5. The downward trend may have stabilized, and with only two episodes left to air, the revival may be able to end its run as a successful venture. The fall from its initial stellar ratings, however, make it clear that the series is far from much-watch TV.