For the most part, FOX has really been struggling this season. When it comes to new shows, Empire is a hit and Gotham’s doing okay but Utopia, Mulaney, Gracepoint, and Red Band Society were dismal failures in the ratings and have already been cancelled. How’s Backstrom doing? Will it survive to see a second season?
On Backstrom, an offensive, irascible yet brilliant detective (Rainn Wilson) is brought back from exile to run Portland Police Bureau’s Special Crimes Unit. The rest of the cast includes Genevieve Angelson, Dennis Haysbert, Kristoffer Polaha, Page Kennedy, Beatrice Rosen, and Thomas Dekker.
With American Idol as a lead-in, the series debuted on January 22nd with a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 7.98 million viewers. That was an okay start but there wasn’t much serious competition on the other networks.
In week two, Backstrom had to start competing with Scandal on ABC and the ratings dropped more than 30%. In week three, NBC’s The Blacklist moved to Thursdays at 9pm and Backstrom dropped another 30% or so once again, falling to a 1.0 in the demo and 3.64 million.
In week four, the FOX series bounced back to a 1.2 in the demo and 4.39 million. Last week’s installment took another big tumble and Backstrom landed at a 0.9 in the demo and 3.54 million.
It’s pretty clear that, while Backstrom may have some devoted viewers, it’s not priority viewing for most people on Thursday nights. It’s pretty consistently in fourth place in its 9pm timeslot and is now FOX’s lowest-rated drama.
With numbers like these, it’s hard to imagine that FOX will renew Backstrom for a second season. FOX has some serious schedule problems but this show doesn’t seem to be a solution. There are eight episodes left in the season (only five are scheduled) so Backstrom has some time to prove itself with better ratings. This seems unlikely but sometimes miracles do happen. Backstrom could certainly use one.
But, what do you think? Do you like Backstrom? If you ran the network, would you cancel or renew this series for a second season? Would you change anything to attract more viewers?
It would be a shame to cancel Backstrom as this show is excellent. I am so tired of networks pulling shows so quickly. Keep Backstrom on.
This is my favorite show these days. I look forward to when it shows up in my Hulu queue each week. I have no idea why all the clever shows dont get the audience they deserve (Think “The Finder”). It always irritates me when I get invested in show and characters and a show gets cancelled so I realllly hope it won’t be the case with this one”!
Backstrom is great! I’m not sure where people get all the numbers and statistics they use to cancel a show, but I think their numbers are off. I’ve been a Fox fan ever since the Al Bundy days, but I can’t imagine I’d remain a faithful Fox viewer if they keep canceling good programs like they have in the past (Firefly, and The Finder are two that I really miss). Backstrom is the type of program that embraces the fact that people are different and they do it in a fun way. In today’s society, we need to be able… Read more »
I agree…The Finder I am still bummed about…
I look forward to watching Backstrom every week, it’s so refreshingly different from most of the shows on tv today. Try moving the show to a different day or timeslot and see if that makes a difference. Please give the show a chance.
I agree. Before a network axes a promising show, they should give it a chance on another time slot.
THIS IS THE BEST SHOW IV’E SEEN IN YEARS!!!! Loved Dwight in the office. Now, Wilson doing Emment. WOW… KEEP BACKSTROM COMING. PLEASE. My son and I look forward to thursdays just to see this show. The network needs to give it a chance for more people to enjoy the “whole Backstrom package” . It would be a huge mistake for the network to cancel this show.
THIS IS THE BEST SHOW IV’E SEEN IN YEARS!!!! Loved Dwight in the office. Now, Wilson doing Emment. WOW… KEEP BACKSTROM COMING. PLEASE. My son and I look forward to thursdays just to see this show. The network needs to give it a chance for more people to enjoy the “whole Backstrom package” . It would be a huge mistake to cancel this show.
Devoted viewer from Canada. How come all the shows I like get cancelled? No, please don’t cancel, many now illustrious shows hover around cancellation in their first couple of seasons.
Boy do I know how you feel, my fellow Canadian. First Showcase cancelled Endgame, and that was a horrible thing, so I really, really hope they don’t cancel this one.
Love it – keep it – almost on a par with The Finder – which was so wrongly cancelled. A lot of these so called TV ‘critics’ are so far up themselves – they do not have a sense of humour !!! One of the few shows on TV that makes me laugh out loud .
This is the only show currently on tv that I look forward to each week. Please please keep Backstrom. It is different than anything else I have seen. (Backstrom is NOT House!!!) Clever, interesting plots, humorous, touching, characters that appeal in different ways and that I want to know more about, this is “the full Backstrom package,” and I want more!
Keep Backtrom. I am sick of the networks never giving anything a chance. Most new shows are not going to compete with Blacklist. Why put in a spot where it has to do that. Dumb move on the networks part.
We LOVE Backstrom at our house! Such a nice change of pace from the standard shows these days. Keep it, Keep it please!!
I totally agree with the comments before mine. So bored with CSI and all the moronic reality shows. I love this and also Battlecreek. Both got a bad night. Put them on Friday or Saturday when there is nothing.
Keep it as has potential but get off Thursday, not much can go head to head with Blacklist right now. A different timeslot will give it a fair chance
I personally love both Backstrom as a character and the series. It’s one of these non standard procedural cop shows, which is very refreshing compared to the typical procedurals: CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, Criminal Minds, etc. The character Backstrom is trying so hard to be repulsive and completely unlikable, but it’s precisely for that reason why I like him. Clearly I would love to see a second season of this show. If I was a Fox executive I’d give this show another chance(as in renew it for a second season) but change its time slot, let it compete with… Read more »
Our family loves Backstrom. He is a refreshing politically incorrect character that you love and hate. The ensemble cast is wonderful. Please DO NOT cancel this show. It is a breath of fresh air to the usual pablum that is on TV. Thank you
I (and my family – including 19 and 22 24 and 53 and 78)
NEED backstrom – I look forward to it all week- we all watch it and talk about it. it is a way to relax and laugh and experience emotional/perceptive gymnastics. please don’t take it away.
Totally agree with you Alex. It is fun to discuss the episodes and the total politically incorrect comments of Backstrom. The show is a breath of fresh air with a protagonist who is not a cookie-cutter plain vanilla one on so many other shows on air. KEEP BACKSTROM!!!