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.
Numb3rs is the only show I watch on CBS. (I catch The Mentalist on occasion, but I could take it or leave it). There’s something inherently likable about the Numb3rs characters and the actors who play them, and I love that it’s a detective series that does not consistently focus on blood, gore and disturbing sequences. When the stories stretch into the private lives of it’s characters, the show manages to be charming without the insulting silliness found in so many other TV dramas (I suspect the music and the acting are largely responsible). There is a nice mix of… Read more »
Please keep Numb3rs on the air, The public is bored with your medical drama. All the reality shows like amazing race, survivors are making the public bored. What is wrong with CBS?
If the ratings have dropped then why are all these loyal fans adding comments. My wife and I have seen every episode.
CBS THINK before you act. We don’t need a medical drama produced by J.B.
If last night’s episode was a finale it did not do a good job of wrapping things up…I LOVE this show and would hate to see it be cancelled..the family chemistry between Morrow, Krumholtz and Hirsch makes it so interesting to watch.. It would be nice if the networks could keep a thinking man’s show on the air instead of constantly franchising (CSI, NCIS, etc) not that these shows aren’t great but at some point the formula TV needs to be broken and Numb3rs does that – it is unique and therefore very special… At the very least if it… Read more »
Numb3rs is fun because it offers something different from the usual cop, lawyer, and doctor shows. It actually has an intellectual element, which is exceedingly rare in American TV. Replacing it with yet another lawyer show will send me searching for the remote control.
Tremendous show that should be continued.
I feel that CBS has not promoted the show as it did during the first 4-5 years. They always seem to add it when the promote the two shows before it on Friday night. Only recently have I actually seen references to the the plot line for the upcoming week.
We have enjoyed this show for all of its seasons and would be very disappointed to see it go. It has a much more positive feel to it than the CSI/autopsy shows and has been much more pleasant to watch. We’ve frankly had enough Bruckheimer. Please DO NOT CANCEL “NUMBERS”.
I was so shocked when I saw the word finale for Numb3rs . Since the beginning it has been my favorite show on TV. The cast is amazing, the stories/characters are smart and real and the relationships are believeable as well. I love Math and watch intently as Charlie explains how he is figuring out solutions given situations and he’s a regular guy, a great character, not just a brainiac. Michelle’s comments from 2/27/10 covered all the wonderful points of this show. Please keep it on the air!!!
Oh, PLEASE do not cancel NUMBERS. It is one of 3 shows that I watch every week. It is an excellent show. We don’t need anymore medical shows. The report between these actors is excellent. What a mistake to cancel this on par perfect show. That will do it for me and CBS.
Please bring it back for a seventh season. It is a great show. Why would CBS cancel such a good show? Unbelievable. I guess it is all about the numbers and not quality.
Last night’s show sure seemed like a series finale, but we would really hate to see this show canceled. It’s a unique show, with great chemistry between the characters. Please keep it on for another season!
I’ve been watching “Numb3rs” since the pilot and last night’s finale was truly given the closure it deserved by series creators Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci. I haven’t seen such an effective dual ending since “Early Edition’s” intended season/series finale “Time” a decade ago on this very network. And I can’t think of any other series that has been such a staple in this household on Fridays than “Numb3rs”. I want to see where it goes from here. Ratings for last night’s prove that the audiences are still tuning in. Please CBS look at the “numbers” and renew this for… Read more »
Last night’s show sure seemed like a series finale, but we would really hate to see this show canceled. It’s a unique show, with great chemistry between the characters. Please keep it on for another season!
Last night’s show reeked of “It’s over”. I had no previous info that that was coming, but the story said it loud and clear. Regrettable, because I, as an academic myself, really appreciated a show where brains and abstract thinking are “sort of” portrayed in process. The CSI’s, though somewhat based on science, rely mostly on magic boxes to spit out results that, imho, border on fantasy. I don’t understand Charlie’s math, but it’s clear he’s got useful tools that most people don’t; the tools demand respect.
Please find a way to keep the show going.
Do not cancel the show. It is sad how TV stations cancels shows that are doing well. This show makes you think and is unique to itself. DO NOT CANCEL.
Please keep Numbers on the air! It it my favorite show! So fascinating, real, and heartwarming too . It’s really different. The acting is so wonderful, with great story lines. How could they think of cancelling? Very sad. It doesn’t get promoted or honored enough! Why no Emmys?
Hope it will stay on but the last show was certain like a series finale.