After being called the “worst new show of the season” by USA Today, the Ray Liotta series Smith has come up in first place. Unfortunately, not in the way the show cast, creators and fans would like. Smith is the first new show of the season to be cancelled, after just three episodes.
Smith starred film actor Ray Liotta as Bobby Stevens, a man leading a double life. During the day, Stevens plays a typical suburban family man while at night he’s an expert criminal who pulls off elaborate crimes with a crack team of thieves. Other series stars included Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker, Amy Smart, Johnny Lee Miller, Franky G and Chris Bauer. The series was the brainchild of ER creator Frank Wells.
Though CBS hasn’t “officially” cancelled Smith, the show has been pulled from the Tuesday night line-up and it’s not likely to return (especially as we enter the November sweeps period). The third episode garnered a low 8.4 million viewers, a significant loss from the number of viewers that watched the episode of The Unit that aired before it. Smith garnered a decent 11 million viewers at its debut on September 19, 2006 (nearly tying Boston Legal) but, has been losing viewers each week since. Networks know that when that “slide” starts, it’s unlikely to reverse itself.
For the immediate future, CBS will air a rerun of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in Smith’s place on Tuesday, October 10, 2006. Repeats of Criminal Minds will take the slots on October 17th and 24th. No word if CBS will “burn off” the four unaired episodes of Smith but at this point, it looks unlikely. All mentions of Smith have been deleted from the CBS homepage (though you can still reach the Smith pages here.).
CBS will debut the new 3 lbs. series in Smith’s old space starting on November 14, 2006. The Stanley Tucci show was supposed to debut as a mid-season replacement series but has been moved up. The House-like show centers on the relationship between a rising-star brain surgeon (played by Mark Feuerstein) and a brilliant but unpredictable surgeon (Tucci). The network is reportedly pleased with how 3 lbs. is looking and has just ordered four additional scripts. 
The show is great and deserves a watch. Maybe it was just too smart for the average viewer one Tuesday night. It’s easily as good as any night budget movie script and production wise. Acting by Ray Liotta is brilliant and intense. He’s at the top of his game here and it’s scary.
The reason USA Today gave a bad review, is because that’s all they do is review stuff. When cancelling a TV show, it would be nice to go to “the people”. Still pissed they cancelled Smith, and everytime I hear Imogen Heaps “Hide and Seek” it brings back memories… Bring “Smith” back!
i watched this till episode 7. I love the show. love boby,tom & jef. The story not yet done bcoz bobby just agreed to do another job. maybe bcoz this series is too cold.. they outsmart FBI in every aspect… that why it’s considered ‘Too Disturbing”.. what a shame…
love this movie…really suck that this movie had been canceled…
from the uk smith was brillant is their anywhere i can pickup the smith entire series
One of the best shows ever. Incredible prefomances. Really good script. Movie quality…
Don’t understand why it is not a success…
This was one of the best shows ever made 🙁
Such is the one of the best TV (Smith) shows that I have seen in this couple years. Better than CSI (Repeatedly the old type stories), “Smith” got an amazing cast and a fantastic story line. I can’t imagine why? why cancelled the shows, even I can’t found the DVD on H?V(HK), Come on!
i got hooked on this show only after watching few minutes trailers and clips on youtube. not even close to a full episode, but i still find it entertaining. it’s ashamed though this show has been axed before it gets a chance to bloom. Badly done on CBS part. i dont know how this is ‘the worst new show’ since this is far more promising and entertaining than jericho or ghost whisper. i hope they bring the show back!
This show was very cool and had an excellent cast which is more than likely what broke their budget! Because in the world of film making isn’t always about “The Budget”?
I really liked this show and it was pretty well written and the acting was feature film quality. One of the better TV shows that I have seen in the past 5 to 10 years. It’s a shame that CBS can’t spot a winner when they have one right under their nose?
This show is a typical example of brilliance that was labeled based on ratings and not on content. It’s got an amazing cast with a fantastic story line that could have gone in so many AMAZINING different directions but was never allowed to grow. I will sacrifice a goat kill twelve hookers and burry them in the desert and run a school bus full of nuns off a bridge in order to see this show back on the air
I actually loved the show. I’m a big fan of all the cast, great actors and a great storyline aswell. I can’t imagine why it didn’t blow off! Alot of good series that has to do with criminials have been canceled. Sopranos was really tha last one and we all know how that went (Classic). We have too many CSI series…