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RENEWAL ALERT: Empire, Scream Queens

During their Winter TCA day, FOX announced it has renewed Empire for a third season and Scream Queens for a second season.

A renewal for Empire was never in doubt. Even though it came back down from its unbelievable season one run, it remains the top show on broadcast TV in the demo. It became a sensation soon after its January 2015 premiere and shockingly rose every single week from a strong 3.8 demo debut. This fall, it still stayed above a 4 demo for its fall run. It will be back for a spring run in late March.

More surprising was the renewal of Scream Queens but it's further proof that non-linear viewing is mattering more and more. Scream Queens premiered to weak numbers and hovered around a 1.0 demo for most of its run. But FOX claims only 30% of its audience watches it in the traditional way and it skews towards young female viewers in a big way. It is often the case that the biggest shows in traditional ratings are also the biggest shows in DVR/online viewing. But Scream Queens is an exception. FOX announced that season two of the anthology will be set in a hospital and stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Lea Michele are expected to return.

Empire and Scream Queens join Bob's Burgers and The Simpsons on the FOX renewal list. Sure to join them are Family Guy, Gotham, Masterchef Junior, and most likely New Girl and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. On the bubble are Bones, Bordertown, Cooper Barrett's Guide to Surviving Life, Grandfathered, The Last Man on Earth, and Rosewood. It doesn't look promising for The Grinder, and Second Chance while American Idol is, of course, in its final season.

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