Allison Tolman
“Downward Dog” star Allison Tolman revealed that she and the rest of the cast will know whether or not ABC will renew the comedy series by the end of the month. Pictured: Tolman attends the industry premiere of the movie “Krampus” in Los Angeles on Nov. 30, 2015. Reuters/David McNew

“Downward Dog” Season 1 has received mostly positive reviews from critics since it premiered on ABC last month. But are those rave reviews enough for the network to renew the Allison Tolman-led series for Season 2?

In a recent interview with Times Colonist, Tolman pointed out that while “Downward Dog” has gained critical acclaim, the show’s ratings remains to be the most important factor regarding whether or not ABC will renew it for Season 2.

“We’ll know for sure by the end of the month, when our contracts are up,” Allison said when asked what she is picking up about a potential Season 2. “It’s down to the wire. The reviews have been great, people overwhelmingly seem to like the show, but our assumption going in was that this was going to be a hard sell. Our concern was always finding an audience that would love the show, but people who have found us really love it. Have we found enough to continue? We were all hoping for an overwhelming sense one way or another — ‘Oh, it’s hugely successful,’ or ‘Oh, everyone hates it!’ But the ratings have never been clear cut.”

READ: Allison Tolman talks working with a dog on the set of “Downward Dog”

“Downward Dog” series premiere, which aired on Wednesday, May 17, clocked in with a 1.1 rating in adults 18-49 and 4.7 million viewers. The show’s ratings then spiked by 1 million viewers and held steady in adults 18-49 on its time slot premiere (Season 1, episode 2) on Tuesday, May 23. The show’s number of viewers, however, has begun to drop since Season 1, episode 3, which aired on May 30.

In this week’s Season 1, episode 6 — the only episode left before the show’s two-episode Season 1 finale — finds Martin (voiced by Samm Hodges) celebrating his birthday. According to the synopsis for the episode, Martin’s birthday comes up, but he just wants to nap in celebration. His birthday plan, however, seems to have changed when Jenn (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) and her new puppy pay him and Nan (Tolman) a visit. Jenn and Nan also have a night out in order to forget about their respective relationship dramas.

“Downward Dog” Season 1, episode 6, titled “Old,” airs on Tuesday, June 20 at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC.

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