The market for cable shows has gotten more competitive than ever in recent years, and TNT has done a lot of cutting, adding, and shuffling to its lineup of originals. One series that has survived for the past couple of years is The Librarians, which recently ended its third season. Now, TNT has some very good news for Librarians fans everywhere. The show's official Twitter page announced TNT's decision to renew for a fourth season earlier today, posting this:
Season 3 of The Librarians ended its run a couple of days ago, so the renewal should come as a relief for viewers wondering if they could count on a Season 4 at some point. There are no details yet available about when the next batch of episodes will hit the airwaves, but if Season 4 follows the pattern set by Seasons 1 - 3, the odds are that it will premiere in November or December and come to an end in late December/ early January. The first three seasons all got ten episodes, so it's a pretty safe bet that Season 4 will also score ten as well.
The Librarians had a rough time in the Live+same day numbers throughout Season 3, with an average rating of .47 and 1.8 million viewers in the 18 - 49 demographic. The Live+same day numbers for Season 2 were more impressive, with a .53 rating and 2.08 million in the key demo. A .47 rating and 1.8 million viewers aren't terrible for a cable series, but they're still not great.
The numbers that are great for The Librarians are the Live+7 day ratings that take multi-platform viewership into account. On average, the .47 rating and 1.8 million viewers rose to a .9 rating and a little more than 3 million viewers once DVR and on-demand viewership could be calculated. The bump is impressive for any show, and could certainly give TNT faith that plenty of people are tuning in- even if not necessarily live.
Besides, TNT has been mixing things up with its originals over the past couple of years. TNT and TBS Chief Creative Office Kevin Reilly instituted a policy in early 2016 to cut advertising times by half for some of its primetime dramas, and he announced the extension of the policy into at least 2017 at the summer 2016 TCA press tour. While The Librarians wasn't actually affected by the change, it was a sign that TNT is willing to take chances and try new things for the future of its lineup. Given that The Librarians is one of the most unique shows on television and constantly tries new things, it could have a home on TNT for a long time.
We undoubtedly still have a while to wait before The Librarians Season 4 premieres, so check out our midseason TV premiere schedule and our 2017 Netflix premiere schedule to see what you can watch in the meantime.
