Late in the 2013-14 season, NBC and ABC launched three new Sunday night dramas — all with single word titles. NBC cancelled Crisis and Believe while ABC renewed Resurrection for a second season. In retrospect, was that a good decision for the alphabet network? Should Resurrection have been cancelled as well?
On Resurrection, a small town in Missouri is turned upside down when long-dead loved ones return after 30 years. The cast includes Omar Epps, Frances Fisher, Matt Craven, Devin Kelley, Mark Hildreth, Samaire Armstrong, Sam Hazeldine, Landon Gimenez, and Kurtwood Smith.
Debuting on March 9th, Resurrection had a great launch with a 3.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 13.9 million total viewers. (Those numbers are about the same as this season’s How to Get Away with Murder’s debut.)
Unfortunately, Resurrection’s ratings dropped about 19% in week two and they kept falling nearly every week of the eight episode season. The seventh installment hit a low of a 1.9 rating with 7.85 million — half of the premiere’s demo rating.
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Considering the poor luck that the alphabet network had last year launching new dramas, it wasn’t much of a surprise that ABC renewed Resurrection. They didn’t have much choice. However, the ratings slide was a terrible sign for the future.
Now, the show has been really struggling in season two. After a positive second season debut, the ratings quickly dropped, falling to new series lows week after week. The October 26th installment registered a mere 1.2 rating with 4.36 million.
ABC recently ordered full seasons and additional episodes of many of their new and older shows. It was a telling sign that the network is only producing 14 episodes of Resurrection this season.
Unless the ratings improve, it looks very likely that Resurrection will be cancelled by May. Hopefully, the writers will give viewers some degree of closure before the end.
What do you think? Did you stop watching Resurrection? Should it have been a mini-series? Is competition from The Walking Dead and football the cause of the low ratings? Do you think Resurrection should be cancelled or renewed for a third season?
Amanda says: was it really ratings behind the cancellation? Or was it pressure from anyone offended by a fictional account of the living dead but who are not zombies. The resurrected are normal people not ghoulish monsters. Maybe that was too much for people with a totalItalian agenda?
Please put it back on we love this show and hope to see you put it back on thank you
It is just appalling! I was shocked & utterly disappointed that Resurrection was cancelled. Yes, there are other TV shows competing with it…. so what? It’s a great show, even if not the most popular. Maybe if the storyline picks up from Season 3, ratings will climb. PLEASE BRING IT BACK – PLEASE CONTINUE FROM SEASON 3. It got to the best part at the end of Season 2…. It’s truly ridiculous that it got cancelled. Please bring it back!!!
In canada we didn’t even get season 2 or 3. We were crushed.
How come they also cancelled whisper an not tell us what happens
RESURRECT Resurrection!!! Y dont you ask the viewing audience before cancelling shows by announcing the probability and ask viewers to tune in on a special night to re-examine your dumb idea to cancel. Try movibg to a different time slot. There is nothing worth watching on Saturdays. Some ppl do stay home and tune in.
Give it a chance.
Well said and I totally agree
…so sick of the “18-49 demographic” dictating so many aspects of our culture … and TV programming … BRING BACK RESURRECTION, ABC! It was an interesting, “clean” “family” show with a great cast of actors! There is SO MUCH trash on network and cable tv…mindless, boring, redundant trash, that many have no interest in watching. My gripe…you cut RESURRECTION and kept ONCE UPON A TIME????? R U KIDDING ME??? You are not alone, ABC, with your narrow- sighted choices…WHAT ABOUT FOX5 cutting “TOUCH” with Keifer Sutherland? That was an intelligent, fascinating, gripping story with another GREAT cast and huge potential… Read more »
Bring it back!! Air it on a different day or something just bring it back! 🙁 I bet the ratings goes up!
Please bring back Resurrection. Also, it would be great if Disney/ABC would “ressurect” The movie with Patrick Magoohan as the Scarecrow annually during halloween. I loved that movie as a child. Looked forward to it every year it replayed.
Wow ABC you cancelled Resurrection, and then give us Whisperers! Really! Could have at least gave us an ending. Resurrection was far better than Whisperers has been, I guess you will cancel that one too, and not give us an ending! Who cares if the ratings are low, you still have a lot of viewers tuning in, soon you won’t have any viewers if you keep cancelling every good show that comes along…..
I agree… Give us an ending or so. I kept tuning in. Had to ‘google’ to find out whether or not, if Ressurrection is cancelled.
ABC, you are really on the verge of losing so many viewers! You need to either bring Resurrection back, or at least tie up the loose ends and give us a great finale! First you take away our soaps during the daytime and now this show!!!! I stopped watching ABC during the afternoon because it took the time slot for All My Children! STOP taking our beloved shows away from us!!!!!
Getting to the stage where I DVR a new series and don’t start watching till it’s been re commissioned. Did not start Game of Thrones till season 3 was announced.
Have a two hour wrap up to get everything solved! I do not remember ABC advertising the series. I found it on Hulu plus. I was stunned when the second season ended with a warm of caicadahs (the word is misspelled but everyone get the idea) splatting on the little baby’s window.
I agree — they left us hanging at the end of season 2 with ‘something big is going to happen’. I was intrigued by the syfy twist and would have liked to see how it ended.
J HEARD THAT THEY ARE BRING BACK THE SERIES ,ARE THEY JUST JERKING US OR IS HTIS TRUE.
I also think they need to have a finale/conclusion to this show. We enjoyed watching it and had to be left hanging.
Hay ABC, you’re run this mystery for two seasons. How dare you cancel it, without at least “solving” the mystery for us?
What I way to disrespect your loyal ABC viewers, who watched this mystery unfold over the course of two years, and not take the story line to a conclusion where the mystery is solved/explained.
What a TEASE!