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?
I saw all the episodes of season one, and it is a great show.. just because other viewers watch other programs…this serie needs to be canceled what a a about us who really loved this kind.of programs..give us a break… and I haven’t seen terranova but probably I would.
They cancel these types of shows that millions of us love, to be replaced by things like “dancing with the stars” that these same people have no desire to watch. It’s a whole different group I suspect. Isn’t there room for more than one particular type of show? Those reality crap shows just make us turn the tv off. We’re not watching them instead of Alcatraz.
One of the best show I’ve seen in a long time. Fox, get your act together and get rid of most of the other on your network and BRING BACK ALCATRAZ!
Alcatrez was interesting some of these shows are boring or don’t have a plot…. maybe this is why it was cancelled America has become simple minded and thinking outside the box is too much for them to watch. Fox please bring this show back… along with Terra Nova another interesting show that was cancelled… thank you for your time.
un hello this show rocked and completely left us hanging .My entire household of 4 are upset about this new,even my 13 year old .I really hope someone pics it up ,we love shows like Alcatraz that have flash backs to another time and then tie it all in to a currant story line .Maybe Syfy should pick it up air it before or after wharehouse 13 please some one anyone do not abandon this amazing project.
It’s becoming harder and harder to find shows on TV that I can watch with my son. Alcatraz was one that spiked his interest in history, the prison and the surrounding area. What a shame FOX had to drop it before it could really gain it’s footing. I preferred FOX over other netwroks for the simple fact it gave it’s shows time to earn it’s place, guess I was wrong about the network and will be looking elsewhere for decent shows this fall.
Hey Fox get a grip———You cancell all the good shows NO WONDER WE LIKE TNT! If it aint about reality you cancel it. How bout cancelling those stupid reality shows that really aren’treality and keeping the good shows! I 2 loved Terra Nova & Alcatraz now I’m having to look to other networks for some entertainment I get enough reality on my job!
If I am not mistaken the show had it’s time slot compromised a few times by other events and that contributed to a loss in viewers. I tuned in more than once to find it not there. I really liked this show. What a shame. It needed season two to explain more of what the mystery was and how these convicts got trapped in a time warp.
Why do they cancel the good shows and keep the crappy shows? Bring it back….
PLEASE bring back Alcatraz ! Pleaseeeeeeeeeeee?
Alcatraz was an excellent show that would’ve had better ratings if it wasnt aired during football season. Im tired of the teeniebopper music shows. Even cancelling Terra Nova was a disappointment. My son loved that show and I speak of my 5order year old.
That was the best show I ever watched and I have been waiting for the second season to start. Please reconsider putting it back on.
FOX SUCKS ! They cancel ALL GREAT SHOWS FOR BS SINGIN & DANCIN Crap T
You guys are so unbelievably stupid for taking alcatraz off the air
BRING IT BACK!!!! i can’t believe it’s not coming back!! It made Monday TV worthwhile!! Now, my household is back to watching RAW….ugh, who wants that!! Touch,,,no way!! What a mistake, it was my favorite show of the season!!
jerks for cancelling show