Earlier this year, ABC introduced a thriller series called The River. It wasn’t a ratings success and will surely be cancelled later this month. Now, the network is trying an action show called Missing. Will this one fare any differently?

Missing follows Becca Winstone (Ashley Judd), a former CIA operative who’s made a new life for her herself as a single mother and a florist. She agrees to let her son Michael (Nick Eversman) study abroad but, a few weeks into his trip, he disappears and she suspects foul play. Becca arrives in Rome and begins piecing together the clues and it isn’t long before the kidnappers realize they’ve picked a fight with the wrong woman. The cast also includes Cliff Curtis, Tereza Voriskova, Adriano Giannini, and Sean Bean.

The series debuted on March 15th and attracted a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 10.6 million total viewers. That wasn’t a bad performance considering that Missing was airing opposite American Idol and the hyped return on NBC’s Community. CBS was airing a low-rated NCAA Basketball game instead of their usual sitcoms.

In week two, Missing dropped a whopping 24% in the demo and dropped to fourth place in the timeslot (beaten by Idol, Community, and more basketball) with a 1.6 rating and 8.81 million. In week three, the demo dropped another 6% and the show remained in fourth place.

Over the course of this season, Missing’s ratings have slowly dwindled further downward. In fact, the show’s demo numbers have never risen.

Should Missing be cancelled? No! Are you kidding? Maybe, I'm not sure. Yes, let it go already. View Results  Loading ...

Last night’s installment of Missing dropped another 14%, to a new series low, with a 1.2 in the demo and 6.32 million total viewers. It’s demo rating was tied for fourth place in the timeslot — with The CW’s Vampire Diaries.

When a series on a major network ties (or is beaten) by something airing on The CW, you know there’s a major problem.

Missing is currently ranked 21st out of 22 scripted ABC shows this season. It currently has a “D” grade on our ABC Ratings Report Card and is only outperforming Charlie’s Angels average — that was the remake that occupied the same timeslot and was cancelled last November.

Though ABC hasn’t said as much, there’s no chance that Missing will be renewed for a second season. The ratings are just too low — and they keep going lower.

On the positive side, there are only two episodes left in the season so it seems very likely that the network will let them both air before cancelling the show.

But, what do you think? Are you enjoying Missing? Is it worth renewing or should it have been cancelled awhile ago?

Image courtesy ABC.