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.
Cold Case should be returned with a set night free of sport conflicts to really give it a true test.
I agree 100% with Jason. The sports programming for NBC is especially frustrating on Sunday. When the sports program runs over, I have to gauge as to when the show I want to watch will come on. I have to record the show I want to see, plus the following two shows. I watched Cold Case, & sad it’s gone. Will CSI Miami, one of my favorites, be next?
We love that show and I am 42…Great show and I think you need to bring it back
i too miss cold case, one of the few shows that we watched. if they would have kept their personal lives out of the series maybe that would have helped. Too bad – as far as i’m concerned the shows that are on TV, especially on Sunday nights, should follow suit – stay off the air!!!
I agree with everyone else that “Cold Case” should have been moved to another night because of sporting event or we should have been able to watch full shows on line. It was a good story line for season 8 but we will never know. I have been watching this show since day one and still will watch it on TBS when I am home during the day. Let’s bring it back on a different day.
Very sorry to see it go. I had missed the first season but caught up watching them on TBS. We alll looked foward for the show, What is good for us, might not be good for others.
Maybe TBS will pick it up.
we really miss cold case what a great show ,YOU could try losing amazing race which is stupid you have all the fall sports that put the show on late .. i guess we will never know what happens lilly and her sister .. the stone family
I just started watching Cold Case got my son watching it (and he’s only 14 years old) my husband, my daughter and her husband and their son, my sister and her daughter that lives with her. That had become my favorite show I would tape them and then watch them all over again. I was waiting to see what would happen between Lilly and her sister and her sisters baby. Please bring Cold Case back with the same actors. Your really missing out on a cash cow.
I thought it was the best show on TV The problem was the football games that ran over time. Put it on another night, and the ratings would be the best. I have to say TV does sting this year. Nothing is worth watching. I do get home by 3 in the afternoon and watch the reruns.
I am so upset they decided to cancel Cold Case. I loved the show & watched faithfully, since the show started. What is wrong with CBS, getting rid of all the good shows?
Jason and Lisa are both right. Watching ANYTHING on CBS on a Sunday evening is chancy because of afternoon sports broadcasts. Even recording the show was unreliable because the machine would switch on for the time the show was scheduled, and often that was not when it aired–I have a number of recordings that end long before the conclusion of the program. This is a series problem for those of us who do not simply watch CBS all evening. Cold Case was not only a well-made and engrossing show; it was a IMPORTANT show, very fine social history, as well… Read more »
Sorry. It’s only a TV show.
Cold Case was very nostalgic,it touched on every decade and important events durring that period. Historical,political and social topics were always presented in a way that you as an individual could relate to.There story lines brought a tear to my eye many times. It always made you feel that somebody out there was not gong to let you be forgotten. This series is greatly missed. Never really heard it was going to be over, just couldn’t find it when Sunday night ten o’clock rolled around. Cold Case got treated as a Cold Case,put the lid on the files and put… Read more »
I think one of the biggest factors was the networks inability to properly schedule there Sunday lineup , due the sporting events. They run the shows 30-45 minutes late people who are tuning in aren’t going to watch half the show if they have something else starting on another network, I believe where they need to start to correct this problem is with whom ever is in charge of programming , before no one watches their network.
I love Cold Case. Just got intro’d to it this year. The problem, I think, wasn’t the show but lack of advertisement for the show.
I am heartsick about finding this out. I could notwait for Sunday night to see this. Maybe because football interfered with programs in their time schedule people just got tired of waiting for this to come on. They made a big mistake taking this off as well as without a trace. I am an older viewer andthese are the type of programs I enjoy. CBS please bring it back. Carole