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.
PLEASE CBS!!!!!! Bring back Cold Case. I agree it would do better if moved to a different night.
It had a great format, story, music and actors. I work Sunday nights, and it was the only show I taped so I could watch later.
Please Please bring Cold Case back. Are you kidding that you canceled it? And you did it with no warning? How rude!!!
I never missed ‘cold cases’ or 60 Min unless it was delayed by a blanky blank football game. Couldn’t you have tried it in another time-slot.
The ‘amazing race’ must be cheap to put on but as far as I’m concerned it’s a real loser.
Last year about 90% of the time I watched CBS. This year I’ve started watching ABC and NBC almost as much as CBS.
II use to set my clock to make sure I didn’t miss an episode of Cold Case. In my opinion it was the only thing worth watching on Sunday evenings.
Please bring back Cold case and Without a Trace…put “prancing with the stars” somewhere else and give the other two shows better time slots…..football screwed with CC !
And they put on a new Hawaii Five-O? Cold Case out ranks Hawaii Five-O by a country mile or two. Maybe NBC, TNT or somebody else will buy the rights and pick it up for some new shows.
Yes. I am sorry they elected not to bring back Cold Case. I enjoyed the oldies music at the end of each episode and the plots behind them. I agree with GSalesQueen about putting it in another time slot. Move Hawaii Five-O (corny, boring not as good as the old) to Sundays and put Cold Case on in CSI Miami’s old spot.
Please bring back the better shows ( Cold Case) TX.
I’m with you on that one. They really could drop Hawaii Five-O altogether.
My husband and I really enjoyed Cold case, we will miss it tremendously. Please bring them back. I have watch without a trace but it just never kept me interested.. loved ALL the characters in the Cold Case Show……
I can’t believe it was cancelled. That show was great. Now I have nothing to watch on Sunday nights. I looked forward to that show. All the characters were great, loved the way they solved each case. Shame on CBS.
They keep survivor which I have never ever seen one episode and do not plan on ever watching such a stupid, staged show.
Bring back class actors and actressed from Cold Case.
i loved Cold Case and always watched it, although sometimes i tivo’d it to watch it at a more convenient time since football pushed it later than scheduled. i also miss Without a Trace and think it was one of the best shows on television
I can not believe Cold Case has been cancelled…Great show, characters, and actors! It always stood out because of the music from the past and from going back to the past and to the present. Please bring it back! Try another night if that would be better…Miss you, Cold Case:(
I know CBS made a huge mistake in cancelling Cold Case. Rating may have dropped because you never knew what time it was coming on due to delays as much as an hour. I recorded every episode because of the frequent delays. Hey CBS move them to a day you can anchor the time slot and see what happens to the rating. BRING BACK COLD CASE
I can’t believe that CBS cancelled one of my favorite shows!! they could have at least tried to put it in a different time slot… It was one of the classiest shows on TV for crying out loud not to mention loving to look at Danny Pino all the time 🙂 Playing the music with the back flashes of the characters was always what I looked forward to, looks like I will have to watch all the re-runs…. Imagine not putting the show on DVD because of copyright problems, what nonsense…. It wasn’t like the show played the whole song!!… Read more »
Agree with km – please bring back Cold Case, and don’t schedule it in a Sunday evening time slot where it always gets pushed back due to those all-important football games going beyond their allotted time …
Please bring back Cold Case. I just loved the show, and Without a Trace also. Move it to another night and the rating will go up again.