When Alcatraz debuted, it looked like the show had a very good chance at being renewed for a second season. But how do things look now? Will the TV series be cancelled after all?
Alcatraz follows police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and Dr. Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia) as they try to solve the mystery of how 340 prison inmates and guards disappeared in 1963 and are now reappearing in modern day. The cast also includes Jonny Coyne, Parminder Nagra, Jason Butler Harner, and Sam Neill.
The TV show debuted with a solid 3.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 10.05 million total viewers. In week two, the demo slipped 9% to a still respectable 3.0 rating with 9.03 million. New shows typically fall 15-20% in their second week so this was a good sign. Week three dropped another 7%. That wasn’t positive but not horrible either.
Unfortunately, the ratings have just kept falling. In February, NBC kicked off the second season of The Voice and Alcaraz took a big hit, dropping 18% on February 6th and then another 17% on the 13th. And the numbers just keep going down. Last week’s episode was a series low with a 2.1 in the demo.
For the first time in many years, the big networks all have really strong programming on Monday nights and FOX has ended up on the bottom. House, which is in its final season, keeps dropping and so does Alcatraz.
Alcatraz’s season average is currently a 2.3 in the demo with 7.1 million. On our FOX report card — which ranks the network’s shows based on demo averages — Alcatraz has a “C.” Terra Nova, which has already been cancelled, had a better demo average and has a “C+”. When a show that was performing better than yours has been cancelled, that’s not a good sign.
Alcatraz is definitely on the bubble but, in light of the downward ratings trend, I expect it to be cancelled by May. There’s just no reason to expect that the series will do any better if given a second season.
But, what do you think? Do you think Alcatraz will beat the odds and be renewed for a second season? Should it be cancelled?
Image courtesy FOX.
My wife and I really enjoy Alcatraz. It would be a shame to cancel the show that holds our interest so well. Move it to a different night or something, just keep it going.
I love alcatraz, its a great show, please renew it.
Fox you had better not screw up and cancel yet another good show just because your so-called numbers aren’t as high as you like them. Those numbers aren’t accurate and you know it! Alcatraz is a great show, and you can’t just leave us all hanging like you did. And maybe you should take a better look at what other shows are going to be in certain line-ups so you aren’t going up against already established huge hits! Seriously Fox…look at other shows like Firefly that turned into massive cult classics that you screwed up and then shot down. You’ve… Read more »
Please do NOT cancel the show! It is just a great show. I am so tired of reality show. Please give it another year.
@zelda: british shows are produced by the BBC. they get their funding directly from the licenses that brits are forced to pay in order to own a TV.
also their seasons are like 8 episodes long (US shows used to have seasons that were around 24-26 eps at one time and then 20-22 and now some are 13 eps). a season of 8 eps would probably hold the attention of the goldfish-like US audience.
I enjoy “Alcatraz”. It’s an intelligent, provocative s
how with an interesting premise. Renew “Alcatraz”!
Please have a Season 2, in my opinion one of the BEST shows on t.v.!! When really poor
shows keep getting another season its mind boggling why a GREAT SHOW like Alcatraz
isnt renewed. There are alot more people watching this show than you know ( because they do not have the box to push in what show they are watching) you are not getting a true reading of who is really watching. I did a survey of all my friends and everyone of them watches the show and loves it !!!!!!!!!
I love that show I don’t watch it on the day but catch up later I just watched the last show and I hope they come back for sesson 2 I need to know is she really dead ???
Please don’t cancel this show! It is just getting interesting, I would like to see where it goes.
It’s not right to choose to air the show, give us a taste of the story but no answers and then yank it before its allowed to logically end. And FOX is notorious for it. I mean, who publishes half a novel? Don’t start a series if you aren’t going to finish the series. And besides that point, you have to give people more time and more episodes to learn about the characters and the story. Give us time to love it so much that it becomes water cooler talk. That doesn’t happen in 13 episodes. LOST was one of… Read more »
Please don’t cancel the show!! We LOVE it- it’s so much better than the reality shows.
I like Alcatraz. I’ve liked several good shows that got cancelled, New Amsterdam or Journeyman for example. What I don’t like with some shows is the long term plots – month after month, sometimes year after year, the same thing they are after (like Red John on the Mentalist). Sometimes they just go on too far with it. Another example is Alias, started out a great show, but they never could kill the bad guys, same bad guys forever, so long the next thing you know they jumped the shark and made the bad guy the boss of the good… Read more »
Oh – and it would be nice if they cancel shows like Alcatraz – come up with an ending, and explain what was going on!
I LOVE ALCATRAZ………..PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL!!!
I *love* Alcatraz. It reminds me so of LOST. I look forward to each episode and pray the execs give it a chance for season two to attract more viewers. Maybe a switch to a new night would help.
I love this show. It hasn’t been given a chance. It has only been on the air since January. Great show — great storyline. Please don’t cancel the show.