FOX has thrown away the key on Alcatraz. The J.J. Abrams thriller has been cancelled after one season and 13 episodes.
Alcatraz follows the investigations of police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and Doctor Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia). They work to uncover how 340 inmates and guards disappeared from the infamous prison in 1963 and why they’re now reappearing looking just the same. The show also features the talents of Jonny Coyne, Parminder Nagra, Jason Butler Harner, and Sam Neill.
Fueled by a lot of promotion, the TV series was launched in January and drew good reviews and strong numbers. The two-hour premiere attracted a 3.3 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic with 10.05 million total viewers. Opposite some tough competition from CBS, Alcatraz was in second place in its timeslots.
In week two, the demo slipped 9% to a still respectable 3.0 rating with 9.03 million. Week three dropped another 7%. That wasn’t positive but not horrible either but the ratings just kept falling.
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In February, NBC launched season two of The Voice and Alcaraz’s ratings took a big dive. They ropped 18% on February 6th and then another 17% on the 13th. The numbers just kept falling after that.
The two-hour season (now series) finale was in fourth place in the timeslots and averaged a disappointing 1.6 demo rating with 4.76 million total viewers.
The first season of Alcatraz ended up averaging a 2.2 demo rating with 6.74 million viewers — and those numbers would have dropped lower had there been more episodes.
On our FOX report card — which ranks the network’s shows based on demo averages — Alcatraz has a “C” and that just wasn’t good enough to get a renewal.
FOX chose to keep Touch instead but the network stays in business with producer J.J. Abrams via the network’s Fringe renewal.
What happened? It would seem that Alcatraz just wasn’t compelling enough to keep viewers returning week after week. Plus, for the first time in quite awhile, all three of the major networks had really strong programming on Monday nights. Two of the competing shows — The Voice and Dancing with the Stars — are reality competitions and many viewers feel compelled to watch them “live” rather than catch them online or via DVR recordings.
All 13 episodes of Alcatraz have aired and the last episode left viewers wondering what would happen next. Unless the producers decide to share what they had in mind for season two, we’ll never know the answers to the show’s mysteries.
What do you think? Why do you think Alcatraz failed to hold onto a bigger audience? Did FOX make a mistake by cancelling the series? What will you miss about it?
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One show that me and my wife could watch together. Do all the neilson boxes go to Alabama? I don’t want to see honey boo boo, or the kardashians ever again!
fox sucks they need to bring it back or syfy need to pick it up
I kept wondering why no previews for season 2 ever came on tv. We loved this show. The whole family looked forward to watching it every week. My students loved it too. Many of them began reading about the history of Alcatraz. I’m very sad to hear it was cancelled.
Alcatraz was a great show. I am disappointed its not on this year. I hate when shows leave you hanging. Maybe you should change the night you air it. Change their competition. Think about it.
A bunch of us watched that show at Skagit Valley Hospital in Mt Vernon Washington and we discussed it every morning after watching it. It was so intrigging and it was kind of like a LOST “type” show, kept you guessing and wondering. Great Actors on the show also. I think FOX made a bad decision!
This joins Daybreak, Flash Forward and more recently Awake and Missing as great shows that didn’t get the chance to develop. I was a big fan and will sorely miss this show.
The idea was good but very poorly executed. The misteries were very slowly introduced and the episodes got to be plain boring. I stopped watching at epi 9 after giving it 2 or 3 chances o pick up…
yes, i think you should bring it back. i love alcatraz.
please bring it back.
reality shows suck!
Huge mistake!! They should bring back Alcatraz. It is the best suspenseful sci-fi detective and educational show I’ve seen so far. There’s enough reality shows out there to make me vomit. I’m begging you!!!! PLEASE BRING BACK ALCTRAZ!!!!
bring back alcatraz! So sick of these reality music shows that the winner is never remembered after their 15 minutes of fame.
Please bring back Alcatraz, at least a Season 2 as a Finale. Don’t leave viewers hanging.
Why opt it out just because of VOICE?
big mistake
If a viewer does not like the show, then don’t watch it. I am sure there are other shows too. No need to give such comment and deprive others.
The problem is there are too many retards out there that believe these “reality” shows are good programming. Im sick and tired of 4 out of 5 nights being thrown away with all the bs gays and reality for women shows. Where the hell is the quality programming for men? We get at the most two days a week with good stuff on tv. Saturdays and Sundays… but this doesnt start until mid afternoon. After that, its infomercials or worse, re-runs of the homo shows. WTF!!!!
Great show so cable network should buy it. I watched it on AMAZON fall 2012. Let me know if it makes it back. Lot of good plot line to work with.
Bring Alcatraz back! It was one of my favorite shows. Bring it back!
You can’t leave us hanging on. What happens to Rebecca? Please give us the answer
I love Alcatraz and Fringe. The Alcatraz story was a gun mystery to solve. Reality shows are crap and as far from real as can be possible. I’m a nurse a get enough reality and stupid pr
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