CBS has announced that they’re pulling Harper’s Island series from its high-profile, post-CSI timeslot and sending it to a primetime deathslot. However, the network contends that the move doesn’t diminish their faith in the series.
Harper’s Island revolves around a group of family and friends who come together for a wedding on a secluded island. Before the nuptials can commence the wedding guests are slain, one by one, by a mysterious killer. The show’s ensemble cast includes Elaine Cassidy, Christopher Gorham, Katie Cassidy, Cameron Richardson, Adam Campbell, Richard Burgi, Jim Beaver, C.J. Thomason, Victor Webster, Jay Brazeau, Dean Chekvala, Matt Barr, and Harry Hamlin.
The premiere of Harper’s aired on April 9th, opposite NBC’s new Southland series. The show won the timeslot in total viewership (10.49 million) but was second in the 18-49 demographic with a 2.7/8 rating/share. However, when you look a little closer, those numbers aren’t as positive as one might think. Harper’s lost over a third of its CSI lead-in audience and almost as much in the coveted demo. On top of that, about 10% of Harper’s audience tuned out midway through the premiere episode.
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The second week, Harper’s dropped to an average of 8.17 million viewers and a 2.2/6 rating/share. Last Thursday’s installment fell once again to an audience of 7.45 million and a 2.0/6 in the demo. With this steady decline and consistent loss of the CSI lead-in, it certainly didn’t look like Harper’s was long for this world.
It’s no shocker that CBS has sent the 13-episode series to Saturday nights at 9pm beginning this week. Repeats of Criminal Minds will fill the timeslot for the immediate future.
But CBS has put a positive spin on the decision, based on the DVR and online viewership numbers. Kelly Kahl, the network’s Senior Executive VP of Prime Time, says, “The preliminary DVR and online streaming data suggest a passionate audience for Harper’s outside its current Thursday time period borders. This move gives us an opportunity to improve the time period on Thursday while experimenting with more original programming on Saturday, and continuing to serve an audience that is clearly engaged in the ongoing Harper’s Island story.”
Though this season of 13 episodes was always intended to conclude the mystery, the network was hoping to bring the show back for a second season, with a different cast and mystery. Though this move doesn’t completely close the door on that possibility, it’s highly unlikely. After all, when was the last time a show that was exiled to Saturday nights ended up returning for another season?
Image courtesy CBS.
I want them to keep harpers island on tv and I also want a new season. Don’t kill off the last 8 members of crew. I think that they should also bring on new crew members to a new season. I LOVE this show!!!!!!!!
Harper’s Island is becoming a very silly program. When the villain stands there and allows them to shoot at him (like he read the script and know he can’t be killed yet) then proceeds to stab his last victim is just ridiculous. No one can hit him and will NOT fire when they have the opportunity!
The dvd release date: 9/8/2009
Go to best buy online and search harpers island you can see the price and more
I looove Harper’s Island! I make sure I’m home saturday nights just to watch the show.
I would like to purchase the dvd when it is released.
do you have a release date yet
susan
I dont think they should pull harpers island. It’s the only thing on tv lately that i wait to watch. I cant wait for saturday ngiht just to watch harpers island!
Finally something with originality and keeps you wanting to see it next week comes on and it is dropped. I haven’t seen anything like this in a very very long time. Instead you keep garbage on week after week. Whoever wrote this needs to keep writing and keep trying. It keeps me coming back every week.
you cant take harpers island off the air that would be the worse thing cbs could do ,its the best show ever please come out with season 2 ,i will be so upset if it stops.
harpers island is my alltime favorite show, i will watch in until then end! i really hope they do another season too! i never really watched CBS until i started watching this, even though its moved to saturdays, idc aslong as they dont cancel the show! hopefully they do come back w/ a second season, <3
Hamlin said so himself, he was only contracted for one episode…
They can’t do a second season cause someone is going to kill Wakfield, again. Love it, and will watch it til the end. I just thought it was funny that Harry Hamlin praised the show before it started on Regis & Kelly and then he’s dead in the first show. What a star? NOT! But as for moving it to Saturday…love it, cause there’s not much else on that night.
This show is unbelievable. Just watched this week’s show – I too DVR the show and every show leaves me unglued as to what will happen next. Not sure how a second season would work – but this one has been the BEST!
i love harpers island. i used to love tv but now everything has no compistishon when it comes to harpers island. its just so good and surpiseing and i would absolutely love it if cbs played another season. its just soo good i cant getover it!
Did you guys even read the article? It says that CBS moved it Saturday. It did not cancel it. The original plan was to maybe have a second season with a different cast but they may not. The best thing we can do for a show is to watch it when it’s actually on.
My husband and I also find enjoyment in the show. We don’t agree on what to watch much but Harper’s Island is one thing we can agree on and the 6 days it isn’t on we talk about it trying to figure out who the killer is. The show has characters we love to hate, as well as ones we of course love to love. Taking Harper’s Island off would be a poor decision on CBS’s part; airing the mini-series was perhaps the best thing the network did in my opinion. During the commercials my husband and I see previews… Read more »
Awesome show! Please don’t take it off the air before the end. My husband and I have to know who the killer is. We work late, have a 2 hour commute every weekday and some weekends and Saturday is our only unwind day/ date night. We don’t watch TV at all really just seasons of shows that we buy and movies. This show and Conan are the only shows we watch. We don’t get to catch it as it airs but you can bet we’re checking fancast and hulu (not CBS.com as they don’t seem to know how to fix… Read more »