Fans of ABC’s summer drama, Scoundrels, may have noticed that the series isn’t on the schedule any longer. Has the show been cancelled?
Scoundrels revolves around the West family, a clan that’s had many run-ins with the law. Dad (David James Elliott) has been sent to prison and his wife (Virginia Madsen) is determined that she and their kids not follow him. The TV show’s cast also includes Leven Rambin, Vanessa Marano, Carlos Bernard, and Patrick Flueger (in a dual role).
The series debuted on June 20th to a disappointing 1.3 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 5.23 million viewers. In week two, viewership dropped to a 1.0 in the demo and 3.66 million viewers. The numbers got even worse in subsequent weeks. It hit a demo low 0.6 and, the finale attracted the fewest number of total viewers, just 2.73 million. Those are some terrible numbers for a major network, even for the summer months.
Only eight episodes of Scoundrels were produced and, to ABC’s credit, they aired them all — despite the low ratings. Unfortunately, the network has little reason to want any more. So, no, ABC has not officially cancelled Scoundrels but, it is highly unlikely that they’ll order a second season.
What do you think? Why do you think Scoundrels didn’t fare better? Is it a better show than the ratings reflect?
Image courtesy ABC.
Maybe I have bad taste, but my 16 yr old daughter and I really enjoyed this show so we had the series recorded each week to our dvr. I thought there was something wrong with it when it stopped recording. Maybe it was a scheduling thing. Are they able to know if people are recording and watching it at a later time? My life doesnt revolve around tv so my tv must revolve around me.
I want ABC to keep this show going !!!! I looked forward to this show weekly. It’s been a long time since I’ve done that. I love Madsen, the actress that plays Hope and many of the quirky silly scenes mixed with the realities of life and family. I loved it !
So sick of Nauseating and Pathetic Reality TV Shows !!!!!! I Never watch any of them and everyone I know is so sick of them. I’m sure they will be the end of TV in general.
Keep Scoundrels on !!! There really is so much potential.
Come on – keep Scoundrels on the air! The characters are great and there’s so much potential here.
Scoundrels is a terrific show. Interesting characters, interesting dramatic challenges, and really well done. I’m amazed that it’s fared so poorly. It’s actually one of the shows I’ve looked forward to each week, and I’m really disappointed that it’s done. Of course, I’m past the 18-49 bracket, so the networks couldn’t care less whether I’m watching or not.
Garland,Texas 08-24-2010 Highly entertaining show with a great cast! Plenty of action, comedy, and pretty women too! Much better than that adult/Twilight ripoff vampre(The Gates) that followed it. People are on vacation in the summer, cmom! So many people didn’t see or were even aware of the show for goodness sakes! Put the show on again for a 2nd season as a mid season replacement, and give it a descent day and time slot too! Cmon ABC! Haven’t you cancelled enough great shows like the Forgotten, and left crap like Grey’ Anatomy on the air? Do the right thing this… Read more »
What Chris said. Exactly!
Please don’t cancel this show. I record this to watch every week. I was so disappointed to see there were no future recordings. Change the time slot. This show was up against many, already established, award winning shows. Advertise better.
ill be pissed if it discontinues. this show rocks!
I LOVE SCOUNDRELS!!! I AM COMPLETELY PISSED THAT THEY WILL PROBABLY TAKE THIS SHOW OFF THE AIR! Another good show down the drain! They have just been taking tons of shows off the air lately, like Happy Town! I agree with Tara, that it is both comedy and drama. That if they switch up their advertising it may just work! I can’t wait every Sunday to see what is going to happen next! Now with the season ending that Cheryl is hooking up with Sgt. Mack and Wolf walks through the door! DANG!!! What an ending!!!! I really hope they… Read more »
Hey, that’s just fine with me, though I do appreciate the apology (although unnecesary) when you claim I’m totally off on my opinions. But look, check out the ratings for Scoundrels on Wiki and it is clearly in black and white that the viewership went tumbling downhill faster than Jack and Jill. One of the biggest reasons this show failed was because it did not deliver what it promised! I (like many of the other hundreds of thousands who quickly lost interest) was looking forward to a clever, fun, and modern take on a family of con-artists and criminals, featuring… Read more »
Up against True Blood, what do you expect. I loved the show too but
am a True Blood fan so I recorded scoundrels and got to watch both.
I hope it comes back. It was fun and a delightful change from
mind numbing reality TV. Please bring it back and give a decent time slot.
I love this show the chemisty, excitment and plot are all wondering. ABC please give this show a chance please don’t leave us hanging. I wanna see what happens when Wolf walks in on Cheryl. Please Please Please!!!
LOVED THE SHOW! It was such a pleasure to watch and everyone else is correct in saying the chemistry between Virginia Madsen and David James Elliot was terrific. And such a relief from the continuous onslaught of HORRIBLE “reality” TV. I hope ABC considers renewing it and giving it the chance to build.
BAD ACTING? You who said this show had bad acting clearly don’t know good acting when you see it. Madsen didn’t win an academy award for nothing – she was AWESOME in Scoundrels. And Patrick did the best he could considering that awful wig on one of his two characters. Bottom line: excellent acting, good writing, bad network.
Lol actually, Madsen was one of two actors that I credited in my review, which, btw, is my personal opinion. Ms. Madsen is why I tuned into Scoundrels to begin with, and was among the only saving graces durring the grueling 8 episode run. I just wanted so badly for it to get better, but it never happened. Also, a wig doesn’t make a bad actor (Charlize Theron in Monster, or even Jonny Depp in Alice in Wonderland), it’s the choices that the people underneath the ridiculousness make. Please read closer next time, though I have no problem backing my… Read more »
This show was was doomed from the pilot. Though Madsen plays a semi-respectable role as the “West” family’s matriarch, and the actress portraying Hope is relatively capable, it is not nearly enough to save this sinking ship. I place the family name in quotation marks simply because I feel as though it must be quoted. Why? Well, despite the fact that Scoundrels has only been aired 8 times, the viewer cannot escape the incessant and nausea-inducing scenes that explain the Wests’ lofty criminal morés and good ol’ fashioned family values. In fact, the show’s writers produce more unintended laughs than… Read more »
(Oops) weighs the show down that much more. Bad writing, bad acting, and bad storylines (where are all the cool criminal tricks of the trade?) Render this program unwatchable. Too bad, but it would take a real network scoundrel to greenlight this series for a second run.
I loved the show and especially liked the chemistry between Virginia Madsen and David James Elliott. It’s a delightful change from all the silly sitcoms that insult your intelligence and the police shows, etc. I hope they bring the Scoundrels show back.
I am a huge fan of cable television and never watched any series, or sitcoms on broadcast tv. Due to the recession, I gave up cable and have an antennae and converter box. I do not now watch many shows that are on, but I have always liked Virginia Madsen, so I watched the very first episode along with my daughter. We were anxious to see it each week. I thought the writing and acting were great. I felt like the advertising given to it was confusing and did not draw people to it. Is it a comedy and why… Read more »