Tonight marks the return of Fringe following a six week hiatus. Fans are understandably nervous by the network’s decision to move the series from the most-watched night of TV to one of the least. FOX Entertainment President Kevin Reilly insists that they haven’t given up on Fringe and hopes that faithful viewers will follow it to a new night. He recently said, “It’s a fantastic show, and honestly, I’d be heartbroken if it went away.”
Still, the show’s ratings have been in decline this season, perhaps because it’s now airing opposite CBS’ geeky Big Bang Theory instead of Survivor. Fringe star Joshua Jackson isn’t sure why the ratings have gone down. He tells the Daily News, “If you put a gun to my head, I couldn’t explain to you why the viewership has gone down from last year when all the pieces remain the same. It’s a mystery to me.”
Thus far this season, Fringe has been averaging a 1.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.08 million viewers. That’s significantly lower than last season when it averaged a 2.8 rating and 7.34 million.
Despite Reilly’s support, few are naive enough to believe that, if the numbers aren’t there, Fringe won’t be cancelled. Jackson believes that the producers have an emergency plan to wrap up the series at the end of this season if need be. He hopes that won’t happen and rationed, “It’s not that not enough people are watching Fringe, it’s that not enough people are watching Fringe during the hour that it’s on the air, which is key for the network. You don’t have to go to school the next morning. You can always go out drinking an hour later.”
What do you think? Will the move to Fridays kill Fringe? Will it be renewed for season four or be cancelled?
Image courtesy FOX.
I catched up two seasons of Fringe and I am ready to watch season 3 blue ray disc series. I no longer interested in stop watching season 4 on air! I hate ***** tv networks have to cancel the series to save the budget like jews do that.
I’ve watched this show from the beginning, and quite frankly, I’m ready for it to be cancelled. They first lost my interest when they started the parallel universes. It was too confusing for a while figuring out who was who and which universe they were in at the time. After that, I have just gotten bored with it. Being someone who wants like to finish what I’ve started……..Fox, please cancel this show and put me out of my misery!!
I hope fox is smart enough to realize that they’ve got the next XFiles on their hands and if they leave it on Fridays being happy with what it has and trust that it’s going to keep picking up fans over time just like XFiles did.
It may have only 4 million now, but they just put it in the perfect spot. I’m going to have faith that they know they have a show that’s going to just get better with time just as it has been since season one.
Averaging near 4 million viewers on Friday nights is pretty good, considering the competition from shows like Supernatural and Smallville, which don’t get that kind of audience.
this is one of the bests shows I have seen in a long time. I get so frustrated when I get invested in a show like Fringe and it is cancelled. They should give it one more season and go from there. We need a show like this on tv to save us from the reality BS and cheeky boring crap.
Like every other sci-fi show, the’ll cancel it. I like the twists and turns of the fringe storyline and would like to see a season 4.
This is the best show since X-Files. It’s got at least another 5 seasons left in it, if the producers don’t fcuk with it like they did with Lost.
The XFILES comparison is on the mark. I would think that Fringe would be a natural for anyone like me who was a loyal XFILES fan. I think there could be an argument that Fringe is even better.
How can you screw up a great and top rated show like Fringe? Idiot execs at Fox will find a way… What a bunch of morons! Can they find their own butts with both hands?
It feels like someone has stolen my TV.PLZ bring back my TV!!! This is by far my favorites show. I’m so frustrated that i have to fight for show with writers.Are we becoming stupid and lazy nation that we cant watch something that required some of our brain cells. Someone needs 2 take a stand and say: its enough redneck shows on TV.These reality shows targeting people who don’t realize they are watching scripted show. Why are they canceling show that have real writters?IS it because with Reality Tv they dont have to pay for a real Writter. Is it… Read more »
Hayley, no need to keep your TV on upstairs. you are not being counted by Neilson so it doesn’t matter what you are watching. you’re just wasting electricity. it is poor advice to encourage others to keep a tv on that they are not watching…. unless they have a neilson tracker on their set.
but if you want to save this show start a facebook group or encourage a write in campaign. it does work. good luck.
Bob Abernathy
I don’t watch ANYTHING primetime anymore. I wait 30 minutes and fast-forward through the commercials…
BUT IF I NEED TO MUTE THE TV UPSTAIRS DURING PRIMETIME AND LET IT PLAY FOR THE RATINGS TO GO UP & KEEP FRINGE GOING ILL DO IT, and i encourage other to do the same.
The last rating of 1.4 and 3.7 million suggests, we’re not going to see a season 4. But I think Fox will allow some kind of a proper finish.
Networks need to realize that almost no one watches programming at the time it is airing. With TiVo and DVRs, everybody has convenience television. The fact that we watch at another time should not make you take a program away from us! Fringe is a fantastic show. It has actors that make you care about them; it has ideology that makes you wonder. We need to retain programming that is original and determine a better way to find out how many of us are actually watching it. Neilsen has been a joke for years. Find a way to circumvent what… Read more »
I hope that Fox will give the show another season – it is smart and engaging. excellent writing and chemistry among actors.
Please give Fringe one more season! At least finish out this story arc.