X-Files Ratings Decline Continues

Last week, we speculated that ratings for The X-Files revival miniseries might have stabilized after experiencing consistent declines through the series' first four episodes. This week, the show was up against big competition from the Grammy Awards broadcast, but the Grammy show wasn't the only program to best the rapidly flagging Agents Mulder and Scully.

The Grammy Awards were the easy winner among all shows on the broadcast networks on Monday night, pulling in nearly 25 million total viewers and earning a 7.7 rating in the 18-49 age demographic. It's not surprising that The X-Files couldn't match those numbers - although the miniseries' first episode actually came close in total viewership and was a tenth higher in the 18-49 group - but the bigger surprise was that The X-Files didn't even come in second for the night. For the first time since the miniseries debuted, it was beaten by The Bachelor on ABC.

The Bachelor's 2.2 rating was a tenth better than The X-Files' 2.1, and that rating was the lowest of any of the miniseries' five episodes to date. It also marks a 73 percent drop from the rating earned by the series premiere episode, meaning that The X-Files, with just one episode left to go in its run, has lost three out of every four young viewers who watched the first episode. In total viewership, the series has fallen by two thirds, from 21.4 million for the first episode to just over 7 million for the fifth.