'Briarpatch' moved to Mondays due to low ratings, Episode 3 available on USA Network site on demand
Sam Esmail and Andy Greenwald's crime anthology series 'Briarpatch', which premiered on USA Network on February 6, was well-received by fans, especially the noir admirers who heaped it with praise for its artistic appeal.
However, the Rosario Dawson starrer which was initially scheduled to air on Thursdays has now been moved to a Monday night.
'Briarpatch' showrunner Andy Greenwald took to Twitter recently to announce the change in the freshman drama's slot.
He wrote: "Some news! BRIARPATCH is moving to a new night and time: Mondays at 11pm. Apparently this has more to do with the popularity of wrestling than it does anything else — and so I'm very happy to welcome our new kayfabe friends aboard! But you, devoted fan, can watch episode 103 *right now* on demand. It's our best episode yet. Allan Cumming! Ed Asner! Mel Rodriguez! Christine Woods! Trust me: the fun is just getting started."
Although the series has achieved critical acclaim, the first two installments have fallen short of ratings that typically decide its fate on air.
While the first episode had a demo rating of 0.09 with 528,000 viewers, Episode 2 witnessed a drop owing to 357,000 viewers and 0.07 rating in the demo. Since WWE Raw boasts over 2 million total viewers and 0.8 demo rating, its popularity is expected to boost 'Briarpatch' performance on Monday nights.
However, fans can still catch up on Episode 3 'Terrible, Shocking Things' this week as it is available on USA Network's official site on demand.
Meanwhile, a few surprised fans of 'Briarpatch' have expressed their concern over the new timings on Twitter as they feel it’s "going to get lost in that late work night slot". And, the rest are anxious about the show getting canceled if it fails to keep up in the chase for better ratings.
"Love the show. Hope this isn't a death sentence. Networks pull this move to test viewers and if they don't respond the show gets canceled," tweeted a concerned fan.