After being called the “worst new show of the season” by USA Today, the Ray Liotta series Smith has come up in first place. Unfortunately, not in the way the show cast, creators and fans would like. Smith is the first new show of the season to be cancelled, after just three episodes.
Smith starred film actor Ray Liotta as Bobby Stevens, a man leading a double life. During the day, Stevens plays a typical suburban family man while at night he’s an expert criminal who pulls off elaborate crimes with a crack team of thieves. Other series stars included Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker, Amy Smart, Johnny Lee Miller, Franky G and Chris Bauer. The series was the brainchild of ER creator Frank Wells.
Though CBS hasn’t “officially” cancelled Smith, the show has been pulled from the Tuesday night line-up and it’s not likely to return (especially as we enter the November sweeps period). The third episode garnered a low 8.4 million viewers, a significant loss from the number of viewers that watched the episode of The Unit that aired before it. Smith garnered a decent 11 million viewers at its debut on September 19, 2006 (nearly tying Boston Legal) but, has been losing viewers each week since. Networks know that when that “slide” starts, it’s unlikely to reverse itself.
For the immediate future, CBS will air a rerun of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in Smith’s place on Tuesday, October 10, 2006. Repeats of Criminal Minds will take the slots on October 17th and 24th. No word if CBS will “burn off” the four unaired episodes of Smith but at this point, it looks unlikely. All mentions of Smith have been deleted from the CBS homepage (though you can still reach the Smith pages here.).
CBS will debut the new 3 lbs. series in Smith’s old space starting on November 14, 2006. The Stanley Tucci show was supposed to debut as a mid-season replacement series but has been moved up. The House-like show centers on the relationship between a rising-star brain surgeon (played by Mark Feuerstein) and a brilliant but unpredictable surgeon (Tucci). The network is reportedly pleased with how 3 lbs. is looking and has just ordered four additional scripts. 
IS CBS OUT OF THERE MINE. WHO ARE THEY LESSON TO. USA TODAY OR THE VIEWERS. I JUST CAN’T UNDERSTAND THIS IS A TV INTERTAINMENT SHOW. SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT. I DON’T KNOW HOW THEY GET THERE RATINGS. BUT THEY NEED TO RECOUNT THEM. ON A TV SHOW I WATCH BEFORE THE NEW LINE UP STARTED. IT SAID, JERICHO WOULDN’T LAST. I’VE WATCH JERICHO, IF I HAD TO CHOISE I WOULD PICK SMITH. CBS SPENT A LOT OF MONEY TO BUILD UP SMITH. I HAD MY DVD AND CABLE SET UP JUST IN CASE I FELL ASLEEP TO TAPE MY… Read more »
This was an awesome show, three episodes! you can honeslty say that CBS did not give this show a chance.
A lot of people I know enjoys this show better than any other show that is on t.v. at this moment.
Why not give this show another chance! Give it a chance!
I can’t believe your canceling Smith with it’s great cast!!! What are you going to put in it’s place another stupid mindless reality show.
I personally loved the show and hope it gets saved too; I’m very disappointed with CBS for not airing it!
Why would you cancel a show after two episodes? You should given the show more of a chance and now I am left wondering if you’ll bring it back.
There are so many terrible shows out there and yet you keep them.
I really loved the show and I hope it comes back, the only thing I would have to argue is the blond good looking guy was abit if a loose canon, kind of immature. Stealing bikes, etc but in all, the sahow was great and you never gave it a chance to become anything more than two shows!!!
The whole Nielsen rating system is flawed. Always has been since the advent of VCRs and DVRs (and now video iPods). Nielsen is supposed to represent an average sampling … has anyone ever known someone with a Nielsen box?! The technology is there to capture viewers who schedule their Tivo/DVR to record shows (i.e. Tivo’s database). This should “count” as a viewer, whether viewed a day later or a month later. How about fan websites, such as this one? Could they not be considered as some form of a show’s “popularity”? Better still is the ability for cable/sat-tv providers to… Read more »
The cancellation of SMITH just goes to show you how arrogant the networks are. Too confusing and complex Nina Tassler is quoted as saying. For her maybe! I’m sure there are millions of veiwers who, like myself, tape hours of programs from as many different networks as there are so we don’t have to sit through mind numbing commercials. Are we counted in the audience share? So when the networks pull out their stats they are automatically scewed and don’t give the real picture.
This was the best show on cbs!!! Please bring it back- or go to cable
Nina Tassler, President of CBS Entertainment, pulled the plug on Smith because of its complex storylines. Interesting…what shall we look forward to, Ms. Tassler? More bug eating for bucks? Another sitcom with an overweight, but endearing husband married to a drop-dead-gorgeous, anorexic stay-at-home wife with kids?
Thanks for lowering the expectations and numbing the minds of the masses.
Doesn’t this remind anyone of the NBC show Heist, which was also cancelled with no notice at a high point? Or at least my friends and I thought it was a high point.
Maybe shows about robbers just don’t draw the ratings.
Smith was not all that.
After watching the pilot, I thought, “Who cares about any of these characters?” I love shows with anti-heroes. But this one?
Violent criminals leading double lives; a storyline that felt awkwardly like Andre Braugher’s last drama, Thief; nowhere near as slick and polished as AMC’s Hustle — Smith felt generic and rather blah.
Good riddance.
quote: “I think one has to consider why CBS has taken such an unusual action to cancel a series after 3 episodes, when they have more episodes paid for and ready to air. This is not a rational decision. There has to be political considerations at play.
Posted by: Rick Smithers | October 13, 2006 07:49 PM”
AMEN TO THIS.
BRING BACK SMITH.
I can’t believe that we have to tolerate shows like “the nine” now that Smith is cancelled. Dancing with the Stars, CSI, Lost, American Idol, Survivor, House, ER, Boston Legal: don’t watch ’em. Smith was a very, very edgy show with a great cast. Why do they always cancel my favorite shows? (sigh)
I am really upset that Smith was taken off the air.
I do not understand why it was taken off.CBS should take off how I met your mother that is something you should take off the air.
Lucy
CBS execs, obviously, did not watch any of the first three episodes. Cancelling after 3 episodes is a little fast don’t you think?!?! So what about the other 5 that are not going to be aired? Would they rather ‘waste’ the money that they used to film those 5 shows, rather then let the veiwers who were entertained by smith see them?! THINK about it CBS!!! You have made the wrong decision!