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 cant believe it got cancelled…… me and my mom used to watch this together in the evening, and my friends watched it with me as a group!!!!!!!!!! We loved this.. i really loved this, it would have improved,,,, more people would have started watching it.. i really loved this tv series…. i am on the verge of throwing my tv out of the house because i want to know what happend!!!!!n such a cliffhanger
My husband and I are so incredibly disappointed to learn that Alcatraz has been cancelled! That was a GREAT show!!! We never missed it and just loved the story line and how it all tied together. Please, Please, Please bring it back!! It was so much more interesting than so many other series. Would just be so happy to have it back on!
I really enjoyed watching Alcatraz. I wish they would bring it back to TV. I was really glue to TV every Monday to see the next clue. So I love for FOX to bring it back!!!
after waiting and waiting for it to start up again……it’s very sad to find out that there will be know more..:(
I hope that they rethink and start fliming at some point…….
or sell the idea to another network
This was a good series that could have been great. Like the AMC series Rubicon it may have been too clever for the mass audience. For those of us interested in plot, character and dramatic suspense we are the poorer when reality shows become the measuring stick. It is business after all but the dumbing down of TV continues, even with cable making the running. On a separate note to poster Jansen we are sorry for your loss. I hope fox reconsiders so you can keep your tradition alive.
I’m from England. We watched every single episode an was glued to our seats. Couldn’t wait for the next episode. How gutting it is to find out there will be no more series!!! If there is a problem with competing with “live” shows cannot Alcatraz be moved to a later slot or even to a different day? Please Fox don’t leave all of us fans hanging on Roth anticipation.
Alcatraz was an Awesome show!!! I can understand about the ratings. But, what about us who Loved the suspence. Now we will never know the outcome. Why wouldn’t they just shift it over to Saturday or Sunday. Couriosity Kill the Cat!!!
Have just watched the whole 1st season back to back over week of evenings in with my partner Andrew. Every episode we were glued to our chairs! Cannot believe nor understand the decision for it to be cancelled! I just don’t see how some shows get to season 2 (Scandal) when they just fail to grip.
I loved Alactraz! For the first time since Lost I felt I was actually interested in a tv show. Fox should bring it back as it was a good show and I think a lot of people would watch it.
Why does Fox cancels great shows. They could have tried another time slot. I loved watching Alcatraz. Loved the story lines and the cast. Bring the show back Fox.
My boyfriend and I watched the show every week, it is was our monday night date night after work, make dinner, watch the show. It was great!! We loved it, and it became tradition, when it ended we started watching some other shows.. but were really looking forward to what was going to happen in season two, unfortunately, Jon passed away in the Aurora CO movie theater shooting in July, I have been waiting to watch season two, to keep our tradition alive.. When it never came on I started doing research, I am sad to see the show go,… Read more »
I like the show, but I can see why it may have failed. They never gave enough information on what was happening, you have to drop crumbs to at least keep people interested. No Crumbs I was starting to lose interest.
FOX should have at least tried another night…the show wasn’t given the true chance it deserved. I watched the show every week and it was compelling! I do like reality television as well but not at all interested in the reality shows that aired during Alcatraz. Please FOX, retract the cancellation and try a different night! I believe the show is phenomenal and obviously others do as well!
Rather disapointed they wouldn’t at least complete the mystery for their viewers. I do not like reality tv. They should’ve tried another time slot or night.
I personally enjoyed the show very much and am highly disappointed they canceled the show. I really do think it’s a huge mistake, seeing how House is over and done with, they really could have just moved the show to a different night and I think it would have done much better in the ratings, they could have at lease gave it another season