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?
Here in the uk, it was hidden away on an obscure channel but was still great. I looked forward to each episode, trying to work out how it was happening. Now have so many unanswered questions I wish I’d not wasted 13 weeks watching this. Reality crap wins again!
I’m VERY disappointed that this show has been cancelled! This was an amazing show that grabbed my interest right from the start. I don’t think I will continue to support Fox by watching any programs from this network. I think this was a horrible decision. Those reality shows you mentioned will soon be gone. We need creativity in this world. Imagination! Dancing and singing! Wow not much creativity there! This sucks!!!!
Wow really can’t say I’m that shocked by this news another great show cancelled by Fox. I had the same let down after Fox cancelled Reunion & said I would never watch a new show on this network again however I was already deeply hooked on both House & 24. But then I saw the previews for Alcatraz & found it very I interesting. The show kept me on the edge of my seat every week & even though I do watch The Voice I found myself taping it to watch Alcatraz first. I will never get involved with a… Read more »
I am very disappointed that this show is not coming back…I would love to see this show turn into some kind of time travel adventure…the series could go on forever…I would watch…every week….
So upset that this show was cancelled. Such a brilliant, fresh idea.
This was a show that I looked forward to watching every Monday night. It’s a shame that they wouldnt further with the seasons. They had a good t.v show going there. Probably the best this t. V network would find. Very disappointed!!
Maybe fox needs to sell the rights to the show to another station who could it right and not cancel on its viewers without an ending! No wonder no one wants to watch Fox anymore! So pissed!
NOOO!! We loved that show and were looking forward to season 2. You can’t leave us hanging like that! Geez….at least do a wrap up episode so we have some closure. What an awful way to run a network….maybe people should boycott your station. I am scared to start any new shows for fear u will cancel them and leave the audience hanging! Shame on you!
Television is loaded with talk shows and reality shows. I do not watch Fox, CBS, NBC until football season. I only watch Pro Football and College Football. Then in Oct. I watch the World Series. In March I watch March Madness College Basketball. I also watch Daytona 500. Indy 500, and other Nascar races. That is it. the rest of the time I watch my Direct Tv Satellite. When I saw previews for Alcatraz I was hooked. I am a Paranormal fan. I watch Ghost Hunters on Science- fiction Channel, Ghost Adventures on Travel, Fact or Faked, Celebrity Ghost Stories,… Read more »
BIG mistake!!! HUGE…It was a refreshing new concept and well written. Kept me on the edge of my seat each week wanting to know more…please finish it! Don’t leave us hanging…screw the network, what do they know about good tv?!
I enjoyed the show. I want to know what happens. The voice and and the other crap is lame. Bring it back. finish it .
every network that cancels show atleast has the decency to give the season a ending, where all the answers of that season are answered. and cases like secret circle, there are books u can read to know what happens but Alcatraz? come on how we are supposed to figure out what the secrets in the show were? i mean the m ain actress dead, and a phyco scientist from 63 found and laughing, and still no answere to how and why the prisoners got to 2012? are u crazy? i guess we must just smell the answers . please stop… Read more »
The series was doomed to fail due to its’ absurd plot. By the third episode, I had had enough, and foretold its coming demise. From character Deigo Soto’s ridiculous mental shut downs under stress, who had made it his life obsession following heinous criminal acts, to the sadistic warden of the past, the cop that ‘copped out’ , the black ops agency head ‘former guard’ that entrenched himself in the bowels of Alcatraz for retribution and the shrouded ala ‘Philadelphia Triangle’ magnetic cloud disappearances convinced me that my time was better spent expanding the other 10 dimensions alluded to by… Read more »
Point Pleasant, Terminator:SCC, Human Target, and now Alcatraz!?
Somebody needs to kick all the Fox executives in their shins.
loved the show! My 10 yr old son and I watched it together and he wants to know when will it be back! Help us out.