ABC’s medical TV show, Combat Hospital, has been cancelled after one season on the air. Though the show had plenty of fans, the demise certainly doesn’t come as a surprise.
Combat Hospital (previously known as The Hot Zone) follows the lives and work of a group of doctors and nurses from various countries at a military hospital in Southern Afghanistan. The diverse cast includes Deborah Kara Unger, Michelle Borth, Elias Koteas, Terry Chen, Arnold Pinnock, and Luke Mably.
The TV show debuted in June 2011 to a disappointing 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 5.32 million total viewers. The second episode of Combat Hospital dropped 8% in the demo and the following week’s installment fell another 9%. Week four then dropped 20% — to a 0.8 demo rating.
The first season ended up averaging a 0.9 rating in the demo with just 3.82 million viewers. ABC had purchased 13 episodes of season one from Canada’s Shaw Media but opted to only air 12 of them. The series performed well on Canada’s Global network but was a disappointment in the US. It was no shock when ABC decided that they didn’t want to order a second season.
Once word came down that ABC wasn’t interested in the show any longer, Shaw (who also produces Rookie Blue) tried to find another partner here in the states to help offset some of the production costs. Those efforts were unsuccessful and the show was officially cancelled.
On the positive side, there’s word that Combat Hospital will be released on DVD so fans here in the United States will be able to see and own all 13 episodes.
What do you think? Are you sorry that there won’t be a season two for Combat Hospital?
Image courtesy ABC.
I would like both Combat Hospital and Off the Map to come back. I enjoyed both of them, and like others that have commented, I am sick of the idiotic reality shows.
why cant you go to cbs network,nbc cancelled jag at the first season,then cbs picked it up lasted another 9 seasons,amazing hmmmm,how about it shaw and global.
I loved Combat Hospital. The actors and actresses were great. I was not expecting this. I am disappointed.
Why do Canadian productions throw their hands up in the air and be dictated too by big American broadcasters? Shaw you are complicit in not providing good shows to Canadians and letting Americans continue to have a say in what we watch!!! Put the money in yourself for Combat Hospital and bring it to Canadian audiences who loved the show!! It was a great show and I am so sick of reality TV… so Shaw give us back what we Canadians want, which is Combat Hospital… my god you could have had another type of Mash on your hands but… Read more »
We absolutely loved this show. It was a refreshing break from all the reality tv. Please bring it back for a 2nd season!
Combat hospital was a grea show! Hope to see it’s return.
I can’t believe they cancelled Combat Hospital. It was something different, and while the first couple of episodes were a bit iffy, it improved and I really got hooked. I can’t believe the way they left it hanging, too. I really want to know what happens next! Hopefully Global will change their mind?
We need more shows that aren’t criminal investigations, focused on murder, or reality shows (which I hate!).
Yes I’m sorry to see it go, For the lucky people that have a job and have to go to bed, it would have been much better in an earlier time slot, Instead we got to catch up on Friday and Saturday nights on the 9 and 10:00 shows that aired during the week. How can you do ratings on any shows when this is the case?
RE: Combat Hospital, I can’t beleive you are canceling Combat Hospital, that was the best, we loved it. If this keeps up we will cancel the cable and rent movies as their is nothing fit to watch. We do not watch many reality shows and that is all they want to put on T.V. anymore. You used to get a show for a whole season of 1 year now we get a few months then poof they are gone, I don’t know who has the say as no one I know watches what is on so who is being counted!!!!!!… Read more »
So sorry to see Combat Hospital cancelled. What a disappointment. We really enjoyed the show and we have been waiting for season 2. Hope there is a return!
I have no sympathy for ABC on this one. I did not start to watch it because they cancelled a perfectly good other medical/in far away places show called “Off the Map”. Fools. I loved Off the Map, and the 3 posters on this articles would have loved it as well if they had watched it. It was gritty and tense and interesting. Human drama, medicine in the middle of nowhere. and the photography was amazing. I am not interested in a show about medicine in a field hospital. You can’t duplicate Mash, and you alienated a viewer by canning… Read more »
I am P-oed that the show was cancelled. It was finally something “different” then the typical shows on tv. People keep adding all these other “normal” type doctor shows and what not and it gets annoying. This show was finally a different setting (across seas) and different scenarios.
I’m sorry to hear that Combat Hospital will not return. My family loved that show! We were waiting on it to come back on. Hope to see it return!!
I’m sorry to see Combat Hospital canceled, I thought it was a “Down To Earth ” series.Hope to see it returned.
[…] TV show dates: June 21, – September 6, 2011 Series status: Cancelled […]