ABC had terrible luck with its freshman dramas this season — No Ordinary Family, Detroit 1-8-7, The Whole Truth, and My Generation were all cancelled. That was good news for mid-season replacement Body of Proof though and the TV series has now been renewed for a second season.
Body of Proof revolves around Doctor Megan Hunt (Dana Delany), a top medical examiner whose career as a neurosurgeon was cut short by a car accident. She works with a talented team of examiners and officers who solve murders in the Philadelphia area. The cast also includes Geoffrey Arend, Jeri Ryan, John Carroll Lynch, Nicholas Bishop, Sonja Sohn, and Windell Middlebrooks.
Debuting very late in the season, on March 29th, the premiere of Body of Proof attracted a 3.1 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic and 13.94 million viewers. The demo number’s not great but overall viewership is very strong, an indication that the series skews older and is a good match for Dancing with the Stars.
ABC aired the second episode on the following Sunday, likely to try to entice viewers who remember Delany from her Desperate Housewives days to give it a try. Most weren’t interested and it scored only a 2.0 demo rating and 8.94 million.
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The following Tuesday, episode three attracted a 2.4 rating and 11.15 million viewers, a loss of 23% in the demo when compared to the premiere. Subsequent episodes have fallen down to a 2.0 rating. The overall viewership has remained strong however, still pulling in 11 million viewers.
Though the demo ratings are not very good and have been declining, ABC has decided to give Body of Proof a second chance — and more importantly, a second season. Hopefully the demo numbers will perk up in season two. If not, it’s very possible there won’t be a third season.
For now, there are four episodes left in the first season and they’ll be spread out over the next five weeks. One episode airs next week, two will air on May 31st and then the finale is set for June 14th.
What do you think? Are you glad that Body of Proof has been renewed for season two? What could be done to get more people to watch, particularly in the 18-49 demo?
Wondering where the rest of your shows stand? Check our ABC cancel/renew page.
Image courtesy ABC.
Body of Proof is one of my top 3 favorite shows!!! I am also bored by medical dramas, ER, Grey’s Anatomy, but this one is different…..good story line each week and unpredictable ending. LOVE IT!!!!
I love Dana Delaney and I would watch an hour of her walking across the street, they just need to change the timeslot.
I enjoy watching Body of Proof. It is a great show. Please keep them on for a while.
I’m confused about the schedule info. May 17th is claimed to be the season finale. Giving the US 9 eps. But the article says otherwise. What’s the deal?
Reg » Thanks for pointing this out. Very strange. ABC seems to have adjusted their upcoming schedule. I believe that there were 13 episodes produced for this season so perhaps they’re holding four back for next season. I’ll contact ABC but in the interim have removed the info from the article.
I love the show and the characters interactions can be a riot. Living in the city where it’s filmed (Providence, Rhode Island) was the reason I originally tuned in, but it’s proven to be a great idea. I only wish they’d change the time slot.
Body of Proof is one of the better TV shows this year. So many of ABC’s tried and true are also so TIRED. Great to see something new…and good.
I love Body of Proof. Have watched from the beginning. Not everyone wants to watch reality tv and that includes singing/talent contests. I love a good story each week that can stand on it’s own, but is made even better if you watched from the beginning. As a retired medical professional, I am bored to tears by the medical dramas. But this is one show I thoroughly enjoy!
Personally i enjoy the show..Comes on late so i DVR it… The ploy keeps me interested along with the police aspect and her own issues with her ex hubby and building a relationship with her daughter. Theres a lot worse than this to watch trust me.
The show is OK, but this perfectly illustrates my complaint about the moron networks. “Though the demo ratings are not very good and have been declining, …..decided to give it a second chance….” SO, this show gets a second chance, but not Detroit 1-8-7, which was way better? What is the deal here, ABC? Oh wait I know, you’re idiots.
I would have watch the series but it aired against The Good Wife after next week I may check it out. If the show is on at the same time period next fall and the move TGW like I think they will and NBC don’t push the biggest loset I will check it out next seasion. Tuesdays and Wednessday is must see TV for me and I don’t get a chance to sample much new shows those nights.
Body of Proof started off really bad. Fortunately, they changed Delany’s character quickly so that she wasn’t such an unlikable character. I actually kind of enjoy the show now. It isn’t Castle, but with the limited quality on ABC, it isn’t bad.
I saw some bits and pieces of the show, but refuse to watch any freshman drama on ABC until it goes on to get a second or even third season. Since the ratings seem to be doing very well each week, I will probably rent the season 1 DVDs in August to catch up. Unless Body of Proof is missing from the fall schedule and announced to be another mid-season starter, like ABC has done before. If that happens, Body of Proof is as good as dead.
[…] of guessing which shows will make it and which won’t, I read this morning that BoP has been renewed: Debuting very late in the season, on March 29th, the premiere of Body of Proof attracted a 3.1 […]
Body of Proof is a decent show and I’m glad it got renewed, but I would rather have seen Off the Map get a second season.
Honestly, I’m surprised this was renewed; much as I like Dana Delaney, there isn’t anything impressive or notable about this series. The dialog, for example, is at times so predictable as to be groan-inducing. As pointed out in the article, this renewal is probably more indicative of the weakness of the rest of ABC’s lineup, rather than the strength of Body of Proof.