After five seasons on the air, CBS has killed a staple of the Friday night schedule. Ghost Whisperer won’t be back next fall on the Tiffany network. Not unless it can come back from the dead…
Ghost Whisperer tells the tale of Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt), a young woman with the ability to see and talk to dead people. Regular castmembers over the past five seasons have included David Conrad, Camryn Manheim, Jay Mohr, Aisha Tyler, Christoph Sanders, Jamie Kennedy, and Kenneth Mitchell.
The TV show debuted in September 2005 and the season attracted an average of a 2.9 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 10.2 million viewers. In seasons two and three, the demo rose to a 3.0 rating with 9.9 and 8.6 million viewers respectively. For season four, the ratings went up again, to a 3.7 rating and 10.6 million viewers.
Unfortunately this year, the ratings fell — a lot. The season kicked off with a 2.3 rating and 8.7 million viewers. Things went further downhill from there. Last month, they hit a series low with a 1.3 rating in the demo and 5.96 million viewers. Though Ghost Whisperer was once a hit show for the network, those times are clearly over.
To little surprise, CBS has decided to cancel Ghost Whisperer. The series finale is set to air this Friday, May 21st.
However, because ABC Studios co-produces the series (with CBS), there have been discussions that it could switch networks. Medium ran for years on NBC before being cancelled and picked up by CBS.
ABC’s entertainment president, Stephen McPherson, has said that he’d be interested in picking up Ghost Whisperer if the series became available. ABC scheduler Jeff Bader told Variety today that they’ve toyed with the idea. He said, “We talked a lot about it. It could make a good lead-in to Body of Proof.”
To keep costs down, ABC has been committed to running only one scripted series on Friday nights but the execs will supposedly look at the possibility of picking up Ghost Whisperer in the next few days.
What do you think? Should ABC pick up Ghost Whisperer for season six or should it stay cancelled?
Image courtesy CBS.
GW is a great lead-in to Medium – I hope ABC picks it up – the actors have much more charisma than many other shows that are continuing
Yes please move Ghost Whisperer to ABC. It seems all the shows I ever love get taken off the air. ABC just cancelled Happy Town after only 3 episodes. Give a show a chance.
I’ve been watching the show since day one, pleaseee this cannot happen. I love ghost whisperer. I hope they bring it back.
I hope another network decides to air Ghost Whisperer. I absolutely love this show and hate to see it cancelled. I have faithfully watched it every Friday night. PLEASE….reconsider!
My girlfriend and I watched this show regularly. Yes ABC should pick it up, now with the DVR and busy lifes people can record it I am sure ratings will go back up!!! Please bring it back online, it was a good story line better than soap operas!!!! Add a twist have Jim and Melinda move to a new town expand the business something, anything besides cancelling it!!!! This was a good show for us to watch as a family…. You should really reconsider your decision to just cancel shows. ABC please pick it up!!! Jus for CBS cancelling it,… Read more »
Please bring Ghost Whisperer back!!!! I want more episodes I am so tired of watching re runs and hate these stupid reality shows. I like Ghost huntes ect… but this show was very entertaining for me. I enjoyed it profoundly, and would appreciate it if you brought it back online!!!!
Thanks
Its sad because I just got into it! Please please show me more I will pay it foward and tell my friends about it
abc has passed on picking up GW. it is well and truly dead. some people have talked about big gaps between new episodes and i think that is a relevant point. i am 53 and i remember in the 70’s and 80’s, a season meant a season. it started in september and new episodes ran EVERY week till late may. then they aired summer replacement shows. if these summer replacement shows were popular, sometimes they’d get a shot at a regular season to replace outgoing shows. Nowadays a season seems to mean: air a few new episodes, then for no… Read more »
I have a feeling that we have lost this battle and it just plain makes me mad! A previous poster expressed frustration over big gaps in new episodes – I completely agree! Or even a fall show not starting with others on the same network makes me angry. Another poster said that the networks don’t even CARE what we want to watch – makes me think of television the same way the government is working sometimes! Doesn’t matter what WE think – it only matters what THEY think. I do recommend that all of us keep bombarding CBS with emails… Read more »
If they ran more episodes in the “current” season instead of rerunning episodes I would have been able to stay on top of the show. I have been watching the show from the beginning and it’s getting very frustrating not to watch a new episode every Friday as planned, but watching 6 new show out of a 12week series kinda puts a damper on the excitement!
I really hope they don’t cancel, but do hope they run new episodes every Friday.
It is so tiring to have shows cancelled because they are not TOP in the ratings. Ghost Whisperer has heart and shouldn’t be kicked to the curb because it’s ratings falter a bit. Maybe if the networks would leave a program alone – how often does a series start, then disappear for weeks and wonder why the ratings have fallen. Duh, during those weeks we found other NETWORKS to watch.
I am so-o sad that the show has been cancelled. It has been only one of a very few shows I was able to watch with my family without being embarresed by the content, language, and dress. The story line had always been interesting and thought provoking. Very sorry to see it go.
Absolutely ABC should pick it up!
Keep Ghost Whisperer……pppLEASE………….ARE THEY CRAZY!!!!!!!! Even with low ratings its still a great show to keep on. I am absolutely sure the ratings will pick back up. Don’t do this to me!!!!!! I dont know, revamp the show somehow but DON’T cancel it.
I totally think that the Ghost Whisperer should continue. There are so many unanswered questions still. Besides, Melinda and Jim’s child could turn into a sister-series all by himself, making for much more dramatic battles against the Evil lurking in the spirit world…