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.
 Loading ... |
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.
Cold Case was absoultly the best crime show on TV. I would have to say the drop in ratings had to do woth Sunday Night Foot Ball. I had the show set up on my DVR and it seems that even when I would a have it recored for an extra hour and a half I will still find that the end was cut off. I LOVE Cold Case please bring it back!!
What a no brainer to cancel such a good show. Who made that decision? I was also waiting for Cold Case to return on Sunday nights. They should of changed the night. I also remember competing with sports which we did not watch
I miss my Cold Case on Sunday night. The main reason the ratings went down was because there were too many substitutions. Having lived in and having ties to Philadelphia, I know several areas of Cold Cases that could have been used or based on. I really wish they would give the show one more try. I would much rather see Cold Case on Sunday night than CSI Miami. Cold Case had enough realism but enough escape for those who like good drama. I love every character on the show and would like to know what happened to Vera. I… Read more »
I’m very upset to see it go. It seems that a lot of the shows I like are being cancelled, while more and more reality shows keep popping up! It’s irritating!!
Oh NO!!! One of our favorite shows on TV. We’re SO disappointed.
hands down, the best show on the air…..
characters, music, accuracy, time period reality, etc. etc. etc.
wow…..it’s a mistake to cancel…..
I must be living under a rock…. I’m still looking for Cold Case on Sunday night. It’s just today that I’m hunting to see if it’s canceled. I’m so sorry to hear that it is. One thing that might have helped COLD CASE was to put in on another night. I can’t tell you how many times we taped (olden days kinda taping) for that specific time and some sports event went over-time and we never got the end of our COLD CASE. The worst is football season… we would never tape and hope to see a rerun as NEW… Read more »
Cant believe this show was cancelled. You people at CBS are stupid. Everyone I know watched cold case. It was the only good show on Sunday nights. Perhaps you should have put it on another night since football -ucked it up every week sending it back to 10:30 or later every week. I dvr ed it every week but also dvr d the next 2 shows after it for that very reason. If I had to stay up to watch it I would not have. Some of us have to work for a living. Stupid stupid move CBS!
I’ve been waiting all summer for the start of Cold Case on sunday nights. I am sadden and disappointed that CBS cancelled my favorite shows. I have, in recent years turned to cable broadcasting, but left sundays opened for Cold Case. Why I think the show lost viewership, it was due to the ongoing interruption of its broadcast – with football running overtime and that idiotic racing show always being broadcast sometime Cold Case didn’t come on until 10 or 11 p.m. if at all. Come on CBS, this was a marvelous, inventive, sentimental show that I bet, you weren’t… Read more »
SUNDAYS WILL BE SOOOOOOOOOO BOREING NOW CANT BELIEVE IT’S GONE
THE SHOW WAS A BIG PART OF MY SUNDAY NIGHT HOPE CBS KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE DOING THEY SHOULD HAVE MOVED IT TO MONDAYS OR FRIDAYS
IS THERE A CHANCE IT MIGHT RETURN??????????? PLEASE SAY SO
I am SICK!!!! I have been waiting and looking each Sunday night to see if the new episodes had started. Finally looked on line to see when season 8 was scheduled to begin and JUST LEARNED that it was cancelled in May.
I love this show and watch all the time for episodes I’ve missed in other seasons to be played as re-runs etc. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE bring Lily and crew back!
This was such great, smart TV! Not so smart of CBS to pull it!!!!!!!!!
I can’t believe that they canceled this show! I checked the ratings on it and it was still doing great? This is just another example of how viewers are screwed up. They will renew a show like Jersey Shore about a bunch of drunk stupid ****** people but an intelligent show like Cold Case gets booted. What is going on here!
Wow, I am so disappointed. I can’t believe that CBS canceled such a great show as Cold Case. And I feel equally sad about CBS canceling Ghost Whisperer as well. Both were great shows, with great actors and real talent. Get rid of the stupid, no talent reality shows. You guys should have just tried moving both shows before canceling them. I am in that 18-49 demographic and was a loyal watcher. So disappointed…
Cancelling Cold Case and Without A Trace is a very bad move. What do you have in its place? A bunch of **** that no one will watch. I don’t believe for one minute that the rating were what they say they were. I know for a fact that everyone in my entire neighborhood watched both shows. Oh — and by the way — none of us were chosen to use your “Neilsen” box. So, who was chosen by CBS to rate these shows? A bunch of white collar workaholics who aren’t home for prime time, anyway? A bunch of… Read more »
This was the one show I looked forward to every week. I was distraught whe it was moved to a leter time (10:00) because I get up at 4:15am so I elected to work 4-10 hour days with Monday off so that I could watch Cold Case. As usual, the TV execs choose to leave the non-thinking shows on, I think they call those shows comedies! BRING COLD CASE BACK!
i actually just started getting into it. I look forward every week to the tough but gentle lily rush doing her thing.. I love the show and would love for it to come back.. Instead they bring a remake of a show that wasnt good in the 70s, i think that is a mistake, reality tv sucks, what is good about tv you escape from reality.. cold case always had that sadness of the beginning but by the end you were fulfilled with joy knowing they brought closure to families and ended their suffering.. I would like to plead with… Read more »