The Belt

The Belt is an American drama television series that premiered on ABC on September 27, 2015. The series is set in Van Buren, Arkansas and focuses on a small, close-knit society of Southerners. The series derives its title from the Bible Belt, the religious region of the United States that Arkansas is a part of. The series has attracted strong media attention, and has been credited as reviving interest in religious television.
== Premise ==
Set in the small town of Van Buren, Arkansas, a town where everyone knows everyone and the church is the center of society, The Belt focuses on the everyday lives of several members of the community.
== Cast and characters ==
*Rob Lowe as Johnny Rock; the local pastor.
*Cary Elwes as Keith Conner; a farmer and father of four.
*Monica Potter as Anna-Beth Rock; Johnny's wife, a stay-at-home mom.
*Teri Hatcher as Marie Conner; Keith's stubborn wife.
*Madison Iseman as Angelica Rock; Keith and Anna-Beth's eldest daughter.
*Luke Benward as Ryan Madge; Angelica's boyfriend.
*Britt Robertson as Suzy Conner; Keith and Marie's second child.
*Josh Bowman as James Sander; the young math teacher.
*Colin Ford as Jacob Conner; Keith and Marie's older son.
*Joivan Wade as Andy Keller; Jacob's best friend.
*Jack Dylan Grazer as Mickey Conner; Keith and Marie's youngest.
*Noah Schnapp as Seth Rock; Johnny and Anna-Beth's youngest, Holly's twin.
*Millie Bobby Brown as Holly Rock; Johnny and Anna-Beth's youngest, Seth's twin.
*Laurie Metcalf as Diane Flockhart; the late sheriff's widow.
*James Brolin as Billy Dance; the mayor of Van Buren.
==Reception==
The series premiere was watched by 13.39 million viewers and achieved a 3.0 18-49 rating, making it the most-watched and the third highest-rated series premiere of the television season. The first season continued to rate consistently high, marking a new series high in January, scoring a 3.2, before finishing off its first season on a string of new highs; a 3.3, followed by a 3.5, and then ending off the season with a 3.9. The second season premiere then surged to a 4.9 rating and 21.15 million viewers. The second season avoided any new series lows, though it did go as low as 3.0 near the end, before finishing off on a strong 3.8. For its third season, the series moved up an hour to the 8:00 pm slot on Sundays. This allowed the season to begin stronger, on a 4.6 rating and 19.85 million viewers. This season did decline slightly from last, hovering over 3.0 for most of fall, before falling to mid-to-highs 2.0s in spring, though it still avoided a new series low, ending the season on a less strong 2.5 rating. For the fourth season, the series stayed in the 8:00 pm timeslot for fall, where it premiered to a 2.8 and 13.94 million viewers, though the series steadily declined and hit new series lows, before its midseason finale hit a 1.9, going below 2.0 for the first time. For the spring, the series was moved to the Thursday at 9pm slot, after Grey's Anatomy. This allowed the series to rebound some, returning to a 2.2. However, it still went below 2.0 several times, before wrapping the season on a 2.0. Returning for its fifth season, the premiere went up to a 2.1 and 10.66 million viewers. Prior to March, the series stayed in the mid-1.0s, falling to a 1.4 in February. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic increasing viewing levels, the final two episodes of the season went up to a 1.8, before rising to a 2.1 for its finale. The sixth season premiered on November 12, 2020, and achieved a 1.6 rating and 9.42 million viewers.
Season	Episodes	Timeslot 	Premiere 	 	Finale 	
1 	21 	Sunday 9:00 pm 	September 27, 2015	13.39	May 15, 2016 	16.29
2 	20 	Sunday 9:00 pm 	September 25, 2016	21.15	May 7, 2017 	17.57
3 	22 	Sunday 8:00 pm 	October 1, 2017 	19.85	May 13, 2018 	11.99
4 	20 	Sunday 8:00 pm (2018)Thursday 9:00 pm (2019)	October 7, 2018 	13.94	May 16, 2019 	10.36
5 	18 	Thursday 9:00 pm 	September 26, 2019	10.66	March 19, 2020	11.33
6 	TBA 	Thursday 9:00 pm 	November 12, 2020 	9.42 	TBA