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.
This is was a wonderful show. I loved it and would like to see it come back. I think if you had put it at a different time and day, the show would of had higher rating and survived. I was very sad to see it canclled. Now I watch the reruns. I even got my son hooked on the reruns. He also wishes the show as still on.
This was my all time favorite show!! CBS, you don’t know what the hell you’re doing!! I used to watch CBS all the time. It had some other great shows besides Cold Case. Due to their new programming, I never watch at all anymore. I just have to say, CBS sucks a big fat one for taking the best show ever made off the air!!
Quite often I tuned in at the scheduled time and it was delayed. So much for promoting your shows. I loved the show having lived, worked and schooled in Philly. It’s also a shame that it can’t come out on DVD because of music rights problems. It deserves to be collected by those who appreciate it and will miss it. It was very well done.
Cold Cases, I loved that show.I agree with what other people are saying is the problem. Poor scheduling. You never new when they were ging to be on or is a game would preempt them. I would record it onlly to find out I only copied half of it, The show was great, CBS scheduling sucks.
The reason that this show and without a trace lost their viewership is because people like me who dvr the shows would come home to find out that the amazing race or football were on when we went to watch the show. if you try putting the shows on a night where the show would record properly then people would be able to watch it.
And CBS wonders why they are in last place in the ratings nationwide .
– Local Fox Employee
I think the reason it showed low gains is due to the fact that it was delayed one to two hours due to football and some stupid reality series. The show was great and so were the stars. If CBS had picked another reasonable time and night that where it was not delayed to a later time when people have to go to bed so they can work the next day and maybe did not have the equipment to tape it, I believe it would have continued for a long time. I am a real fan of CBS series and… Read more »
Like others, I missed the news that Cold Case was canceled. I kept wating for it and lookijg for it on different nights and on a whim decided to google to see what/when/why. Very disappointed. I thought the period they promoted Sunday nights with Race, Case and Trace was great!
This is horrible…. I’ve been waiting for this show and now I am so disappointed with nothing to look forward to:(
I cant believe you took this wonderful show off the air. In this whirlwind of beyond stupid reality TV this show was such a wonderful breath of fresh air. Bring back Cold Case!
Television is getting to be nothing but commercials and stupid reality shows. Why did you take off 2 of the best shows on TV. You think everybody wants to watch football?
I was wondering what happened to Cold Case. That’s the 2nd show that’s been cancelled and i never knew, the other show was Without A Trace. I love these two shows and i really wish that it would return. I don’t know why they renewed Medium, i don’t really care for the show. I miss watching Cold Case and Without A Trace.
My husband and I watched Cold Case from the beginning. The premise was so different, the acting great, and the music wonderful. And we loved the time slot! We obviously missed the news that it was cancelled, as we were stunned when I read this today. There are an awful lot of us that do not fit the demographic that fills the bill with the networks. They are shooting themselves in the foot with the terrible scheduling changes and incredible amount of commercials. So solve the problems by taking away the intelligent programs. That really makes sense. We miss you,… Read more »
If you hadn’t usurped all the episodes with the stupid football games and any other sports games on your channel, this show would still be going strong. Instead of flat out cancelling it, how come you didn’t bother to try it on a different night where people could actually see full episodes instead of waiting for the previous show to finish after running over. Your scheduling sucks.
I agree!!!! Not everybody likes football – When are the stations going to get it thru their heads
I too am absolutely devastated that this fantastic show has been terminated. I have watched every episode here in Australia and love Det. Rush. Every episode runs to a polished format from the story line to the music of the era in which the case relates. The opening crash of music just makes my spine tingle and I turn up the volume every time. I desperately want the series on DVD – music as well. Cold Case fans unite.