The FOX network has decided not to order additional episodes of Lie to Me. Production will be halted next month, leaving the season total at 13 installments. Is the show essentially cancelled?

While a move like this is never a positive sign, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Lie to Me is finished. FOX has been using the series as a utility player and could potentially order more episodes at a later date for a summer run.

However, Lie to Me’s ratings haven’t exactly been stellar. The seven episodes that have aired thus far this season have averaged just a 1.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.42 million viewers. It’s consistently ranked either third or fourth in its Monday night timeslot, losing a significant amount of the lead-in audience from House. In the demo, it’s the ninth most-watched program on the network, ranking just below struggling Fringe.

It probably doesn’t help that executive producer Shawn Ryan left to run his own show, The Chicago Code, which is set to debut on FOX in January.

Original episodes of Lie to Me return next month and are set to finish airing by January 31st. The decision to either renew or cancel the series will likely come down to how confident the FOX execs are in what they have in the pipeline.

What do you think? Will Lie to Me be cancelled or will the network order more episodes? What would you do?

Image courtesy FOX.