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.
I couldn’t agree more with Michelle’s reply. Plenty of good shows get canned right after a fanbase begins to gather around them. I myself often don’t begin to watch a new series just for fear of having my hopes dashed by its sudden cancellation. In the case of “Lie to Me,” I really do hope that it does continue its run. It isn’t the best show out there, but it’s a welcome break from classic forensic crime busting. It’s got a relatively fresh concept at its base, and Tim Roth plays Lightman well. (Almost TOO well.) Admittedly though, it sometimes… Read more »
I love this show. I agree with the viewer above…the ONLY shows I watch on tv are House, lie to me, Fringe and Bones. now it looks like they are putting Fringe out to rest and lie to me as well? So stupid! I love the intellectual value of these shows…it is a shame to think they will be gone!
Maybe they plan to bring it back in the summer? They did have the show this past summer, which kinda surprised me. So maybe it’s just 13 episodes now and 13 this coming summer. One can only hope.
I LOVED this show when it first came on. It was about him and trying to figure out who was lying and ways to see if someone was lying. I liked it when they showed political figures and celebrities do the same expression when they were lying (or possibly lying) then recently, they changed it to some weird thing where he goes out and gets into trouble and all this stupid plots. Turn it back into original, or trash it.
I love “Lie to Me” as well. I don’t have TV reception so watch it online. I thought Bones was awful btw, but Tim Roth is flat out brilliant, and to have this ratings system skewed to the lowest possible denominator makes you realize quality counts for absolutely nothing. What a pity.
It seems that Fox has a particular gift for prematurely cancelling shows with great potential. I’m thinking of Firefly, particularly. A classic series, even with only 13 shows. It’d be a crime if Lie to Me–and Good Guys, another Fox-er under threat–were to be axed. In both cases, why not port them to cable? They’d work great on USA.
I love “Lie to Me”! I look forward to every episode! I am in their ridiculous demi-graphic, I watch it as it airs, and yet I don’t count because I am not a “Neilson” house! I really thought Fox and CBS were the only two non-cable networks that were actually giving their shows real chances! I guess I was wrong! There has got to be a better way to find out how many people are actually watching each show – in my opinion, their ratings numbers are so unrealistic that it’s a waste that they are even used! I watch… Read more »
Honestly whats the point in watching tv. the stations just ruin tv for EVERYONE. like movie gallery went bankrupt, blockbuster is fighting not to, all these stations will eventually get the same way because PEOPLE dont even want to watch tv anymore because it is so INCONSISTENT and every time you start to like something it is GONE. Honestly I dont even know why I comment because I dont actually feel any station actually takes the time to hear or care what people say. they only worry about dollars and cents which sucks for the rest of us.
I did not watch the show when it first came out. It just didn’t sound like something I would enjoy watching or might have been aired when I was watching something else.
Then one evening I watched it….Now it’s one of my favorite shows.
Show sucks. Cancel it.
I like it when you lie to me!
Another example of how studios cancel shows WAY too early. This show actually had original story lines and great actors. Not to mention how great the show looked. Not a fan of many shows on Fox these days…with the exception of Glee and of course football. (agree with Dave above) Not a fan of Human Target, Bones, House and definitely not The Good Guys. Yikes….!
It would be a shame if Lie To Me were to be cancelled. There are only 5 things I watch on FOX. Fringe, Bones, House, Lie To Me and The Good Guys. Outside of those programs the network has nothing worth watching besides Football.
And I’ve already made a vow to not watch another sitcom on Fox, if they cancel lie to me, then I’m just gonna watch the show I’m already watching, not another new one. Once the shows I’m already watching run out, then that’s it. I won’t get duped into watching another Fox show. Not gonna happen. Fox has pissed me off over and over again. Now they wanna do this to their best show? Yes NOT american stupid a** idol. They’ll just have Bones, house, human target, are your smarter than a 5th grader and the animated shows. I won’t… Read more »
Order more and put it on another night. They were gonna put it back on Wednesdays, so put it back on Wednesdays. DON’T CANCEL!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT’S AN EXCELLENT SHOW!!!!!!! All great shows die prematurally. Fox it’s up to you. Make the right decison.