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.
i think this is a great show and I would hate to lose it there aren’t a whole lot of “quality” shows out there
I love the show Numbers. I’m totally bummed it may go away!
always a fresh look at things. Unique in its hero and viewpoint. A keeper.
Not another medical drama with gratuitous sex etc..blah,blah,blah…and in Miami no less.
Keep Numbers on CBS, Tech geeks, math geeks, sci-geeks, need representation too!!!
Be a shame if it ends, great rapport, and proof that math is important to all those like Kathy Lee Gifford that says she never needed math… I say ignorance is bliss.
Excellent show that improved with each episode. It never felt like was going downhill in the ratings, and the plots remained fresh. I have no answer for the ratings drop and think that it is a shame that this well written program is likely to be dropped. Please keep it on the air.
This is one thing that is so stupid. “Miami Medical” is going to be another show that will be filmed in L.A. and only have a few exterior shots done every once in a while in South Florida. Just like CSI:Miami, The Golden Girls and a few others (except for “Burn Notice”). I did like the season (series) finale
Numb3rs is one of the BEST written, and consistently high quality programs on TV. Viewers are inteligent enough to understand ratings, Neilsen’s etc. Yet, cancelling THIS show would be one of the few big mistakes CBS had made in the last few years. CBS was smart enough to pick up Medium and a few other well crafted shows from NBC and FOX in the last 2 years, when those networks were living strictly by the – well – the ‘numbers’ – CBS doesn’t need to stoop to their levels. CBS- please, rethink the decision to cancel Numb3rs. With ‘Ghost Whisperer’,… Read more »
Please keep Numb3rs on! It’s one of the few intelligent shows on the air, and the cast is wonderful! The show needs to keep Peter MacNicol on, too. I missed Larry this year!
keep it going
Absolutely keep the show on! It’s intelligent and this was the best season yet.
I really would miss numbers it is the only show that we watch on Friday nights anymore. Please keep them on!
Leave numbers on! We don’t need another medical show!
I really want Numb3rs to stay on the air. It is my down time that my son KNOWS NOT to interrupt me with and I watch the episodes while he is doing his homework from when I tape it the Friday before. I would be sad to see the Eps brothers go. I know it can’t go on forever, but I think they should be back for another season. I want to see how the story with Amita and Charlie Eps works out as well as his brother and his brother’s fiance and also with his dad for living in… Read more »
Great show! Kep it onthe air!
Great show! Keep it on the air!