After seven years on the beat, the show’s over for Detective Lily Rush (Kathryn Morris). CBS has officially cancelled Cold Case.
Each episode of Cold Case begins by showing an unsolved crime from the past. The scene then flashes forward to the present day and a group of homicide detectives try to piece together what really happened, using old evidence and new interviews. The series stars Morris, Danny Pino, John Finn, Jeremy Ratchford, Thom Barry, and Tracie Thoms.
Cold Case began in September of 2003 and quickly became a staple of the CBS Sunday night schedule. The crime drama had a successful first season and, by season two, was averaging a 3.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 15.1 million viewers. For the next couple seasons, total viewership fell a bit but the all-important demo numbers rose, reaching a 3.8 in season four.
Unfortunately the ratings have come down quite a bit since then. In season five, the show averaged a 2.9 rating and about 12 million viewers. Last season, Cold Case sank lower, to an average of a 2.7 rating and CBS made a choice between renewing ailing Without a Trace or Cold Case. They chose to keep Cold Case but may have regretted it pretty quickly. This season, the show’s ratings dropped even further to a 2.15 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 9.6 million viewers.
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So, while the overall viewership isn’t terrible, the demo numbers are and that’s what brings the ad dollars. CBS often has the most total viewers, but they are often lacking in the 18-49 demo department.
To no surprise, CBS has cancelled Cold Case after seven years on the air. The show won’t be back for season eight next fall. Sadly, the show is not available on DVD. It’s believed that securing the rights for the show’s extensive use of period music is problematic.
What do you think? Are you sorry to see the series go? What could have been done to help the TV show’s ratings?
Image courtesy CBS.
I totally agree with “Mirsky72” I can’t stand The Closer! I always watch Cold Case reruns on TNT but I have to DVR them because the episodes are aired at such off hours. I will definitely miss the show!
I just found out that they canceled “Cold Case.” I love that show. I have seen every episode and no matter how many times I have seen one, I can always watch it again. I had a feeling when they canceled “Without a Trace” the writing was on the wall for “Cold Case.” Okay, so did it even have an ending? Jeffries was going to retire, and we were lead to believe that Lily was going to end up raising her sister’s child, but any other closure? And sure, they kept moving the time of the show to accomodate the… Read more »
I think it is a shame that CBS cancelled Cold Case, it makes you wonder who does the decision making at the network when they cancell a show like Cold Case but keep on a ridiculous show like Big Brother
START A MOVEMENT NOW TO BRING BACK COLD CASE. COLD CASE IS AN EXCELLENT CRIME STORY SHOW. LET’S DO IT SUPPORTERS OF COLD CASE…FLOOD CBS TELEPHONE LINES, FAX, EMAIL AND WRITE TO BRING BACK COLD CASE. HOW CAN CBS LEAVE US HANGING AS THEY DID WITH A NEW BABY INVOLVED. BRING BACK NOW.
I hate you CBS!! You cancelled ‘Without a Trace’ and ‘Cold Case’!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were really good shows! And now you can replace it reality crap!
Very few series have gotten to me in the way Cold Case has. Probably the only one I can think of is “Hill Street Blues” back in the eighties. I am now 51. My nod and my admiration to the talents that transport us back in time using a tunnel (a marvelous tunnel) called music. Then the present, with characters alive and not-so-well, which means: just like us. Psychiatric, alcohol, divorced. Friends. In my country we say that “if a million flies eat crap, it is not necessarily good”. But business I guess, is business. Some of us don´t like… Read more »
Have they totally lost their minds???????? Canceling COLD CASE?!?!?!?!!!!! Were the ratings too low??? Well no wonder, they put the show on AFTER that riveting show (PUKE) the great race, which sucks, and football. I couldn’t stay up to watch it, I had to work the next day. Start your lousy football an hour earlier, and cancel “the less than mediocare race”!!!! Give me back my favorite show!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The writing was wonderful, the story lines believable, and the music, just great. Just goes to show why CBS is the lowest rated network, they’re idiots!!
Just learned that Cold Case was cancelled, what a bummer. It was the only thing on CBS that I looked forward to on Sunday. I too looked forward to it and really liked all the actors and actresses. It held my interest which is more than I can say for Survivor, Big Brother and some others. Cold Case was different that all the CSI shows also. I don’t see the new Hawaii 5-O making it. If it does not, that’s what they get for taking Cold Case off.
It always kills me, the network states that a TV show’s viewing audience has fallen when the show fails to come on at the assigned time, and it’s like “pot-luck” to find the show on at the allotted time. “Shame on you CBS, canceling a good show” when you want another show to take the older show’s time slot.
So sad
No justice in this world.
Ted Turner should pick this show up and replace THE CLOSER!
aaaaaw c’mon, cold case is one of the best shows on tv 🙁
I think it was a mistake to cancel Cold Case, especially to replace it with some previous generation’s has been show. I loved Cold Case; it’s cast and it’ writers. I would have preferred CBS try to find a workable time slot or maybe sell it to a cable channel.
I HATE that CBS decided to cancel Cold Case! It was one of the best shows on TV and one that I NEVER missed, even if it was pushed late. Yet another good show booted off the air for ‘declining’ ratings. Well, how could it not, if it was always being pushed later & later by the game? Besides, who could call nearly 10 million viewers as BAD ratings? And now they are starting up new shows that are actually ‘old’ shows… Hawaii 5-o, The Rockford Files, CHiPs… they should have just let the good shows on the air.
I loved Cold Case, and hate to see it go. Unfortunately Sunday night programming seems to be a chopping block for shows on CBS. Local programming always runs way over with whatever sports season is playing, pushing everything late. I always had to set my DVR to record sometimes until 2am, just to get all of the Sunday night shows I enjoy. Sometimes, the local news would cut Cold Case off mid episode! I noticed that they moved CSI-Miami to Sunday nights, wonder what that will mean for this show? It is another favorite of mine…