Tonight, Numb3rs finishes off its sixth season with episode 118, “Cause and Effect.” Will the show be back next season? A decision hasn’t been made yet but lots of people are betting that it will be cancelled.
Numb3rs follows FBI Agent Don Eppes (Rob Morrow) and his genius brother, Charlie (David Krumholtz), who helps the authorities solve cases with mathematics. The cast also features Judd Hirsch (as their father), Alimi Ballard, Dylan Bruno, Navi Rawat, Aya Sumika, and Peter MacNicol.
The series debuted in January 2005 and has long been a successful player for CBS on Friday nights. In season one, Numb3rs averaged a 3.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and about 11.1 million viewers. They went up in season two, with an average of a 3.3 rating and 11.7 million viewers. Viewership has fallen since then however and last season, Numb3rs scored a 2.2 and 10.2 million.
This season, Numb3rs’ ratings have dropped further still — averaging a 1.8 rating and 8.26 million viewers each week. As a result of the decline in ratings, CBS (which is having a very good season) decided to cut back on the number of episodes and reduced their season order from 22 to 16 installments.
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The official reason for the decrease is that CBS had too much programming and needed space to try out new series. Next week, Numb3rs’ timeslot will be occupied by a new show, Miami Medical.
CBS has maintained that the fate of Numb3rs hasn’t been decided yet but, considering the series’ production costs and ratings, it seems fairly certain that the show is done.
In fact, ABC and FOX are betting on it. The networks have already cast Morrow and Krumholtz in new pilots.
Morrow will star in a dramatic pilot called The Whole Truth for ABC, opposite Joely Richardson. He’ll play a fiercely competitive and successful defense attorney who is close friends with his equally talented courtroom adversary (Richardson). Whole Truth is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
Meanwhile, Krumholtz has been cast in a comedy pilot for FOX called Tax Man. The project’s being produced by Ron Howard and stars Krumholtz as an IRS Agent who’s trying to find nobility in his work. Judy Greer recently joined the cast.
If CBS does decide to bring Numb3rs back for another season, both Morrow and Krumholtz will be obligated to return. However, the other networks wouldn’t cast them in new pilots unless they felt it was a very strong possibility that Numb3rs would indeed be cancelled.
What do you think? Would you like to see Numb3rs return for a seventh season or is it time to say goodbye to the Eppes?
Image courtesy CBS.
Please don’t get rid of Numb3rs. It is probably the only t.v. show I watch every week without missing a week thanks to OnDemand….
Pleaseeee bring back Numb3rs! It’s one of my favorite shows and it’s very unique. It has a little something special you can’t find in any other tv show. And you can’t just make the Eppes dissapear…..it’s wrong.
Bring back the show has an awesome dinamic that you dont find in other shows. My keep them commin.
CBS had me locked in all five nights of the week, with NCIS my top show. There is How I Met Your Mother & Big Bang Theory on Monday, NCIS Tuesday, Criminal Minds & CSI: NY Wednesday, and The Mentalist on Thursday. Now, if NUMB3RS is indeed cancelled, my Fridays will be CBS-free. I didn’t like their splitting up the Tuesday pair of NCIS & The Mentalist, moving the latter to Thursday, but I understand their desire to use the strong NCIS following to springboard some new shows (which I never watch, partly out of pique). But that was a… Read more »
I would like 2 c numb3rs return it is a terrific show and it opens and brightens the mind
You could tell the show was in trouble this season with the “which cast member is not going to be in tonight’s episode” game. Larry’s disappearance didn’t help matters either and I think the story line was really screwy when there seemed to be sparks flying between him and Diane Farr’s character. She moved east and he stayed and nothing else was ever said about it — must have been a dream. It’s the only show on Friday night that I liked to watch. Moonlight was a nice lead in, but I don’t care about Ghost Whisperer or Medium. Three… Read more »
We have been watching Numbers since it began. It is one of the few shows on television that has any substance to it. It is pretty sad to think that only sitcoms are left on television…tells a lot about the intelligence of the country!
Please do NOT cancel Numbers!
Friday night will not be the same without Numb3rs. I watched Miami Medical and WILL NOT be a fan of that show. So will look for something else to watch.
With decent writers Numb3rs could be fresh and exciting. I think the network is making a mistake.
Numbers was one of the few fun and intelligent shows on the regular television. It started to drag when the writers kept referring to the math as “been there done that”. Just becaue it has been used before doesn’t mean it’s invalid or has to be set up as ho hum. The networks seem to close their shows as soon as the “romantic” angles are completed. What?!…does life and crime stop as soon as the main characters are married and/or engaged? There are many ways this show could be “freshened up” especially with Charlie and Amita in England.
I’ve watched numbers since the beginning. It’s viewership declining has nothing to do with the shows writing or it’s actors but with 2 factors. One is with CBS promotion. Normally after shows as early as Mondays, I would see promos for Numbers but those have slowly declined or it’s all about Ghost Whispers. The viewers that do catch the show now, only do so because we know when it airs. And two, I don’t think the Friday night line up compliments the show well. For example if it followed or lead one of the CSI series, then the chemistry and… Read more »
Cancel NUMBERS for Miami Medical? Gee CBS. You have no productions sense whatsoever. NUMBERS was unique. We don’t need another medical show. Miami Medical should be called Miami Medical CSI. Why not? That’s the extent of CBS’s mentality.
The book “The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS: Solving Crime with Mathematics” shows what more could have been included in the show, subject to time limits and/or reducing some of the FBI and Don’s personal life, that would have brought a stronger support from those interested in math—even if they are not mathematically inclined.
There was a math prof. who kept a blog on the show–i.e. comments on the math, but he stopped because of the constant decrease in math in the show.
I think Numb3rs ratings fell with the loss of Meagan (Diana Farr). Her character added dimension. I wish instead of canceling the show, that she or a character like her could be added back.
I’ve started watching this show since Season 4 and have DVR’d this show EVERY WEEK.
Making sure my computer doesn’t miss this show.
I love this show.
It makes me actually think and wonder how the end of the episode will end and I got someone who RARELY watched tv to go from Jeopardy to watching THIS show.
Please bring Numbers back.
Please don’t cancel Numb3rs. It is not only intriguing because of characters but because of the characters. It gives insight into the working brains of gifted people and promotes math in an interesting light. It is the only show that my husband will leave the lab and come home to watch! He is one of those gifted oddballs – :0) All in all, these type of shows are not only entertaining but can be educational to a point also. More math, more out-of-the-box thought process and intrigue… and more seasons PLEASE!