Tonight, FOX is airing the season finale of Terra Nova, the network’s latest foray into science fiction. Does the TV series have a chance at returning for a second season or will it be cancelled instead?
On Terra Nova, our planet has been over-developed and is overcrowded. Mankind’s only chance for survival is to make use of a newly discovered fracture in time and try to colonize pre-historic Earth. The Shannon family is chosen to participate but they find their new home is far from paradise. The cast includes Jason O’Mara, Shelley Conn, Landon Liboiron, Allison Miller, Naomi Scott, Alana Mansour, Stephen Lang, and Christine Adams.
The TV show debuted on September 26th with a pair of installments. They attracted an average of a 3.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 9.22 million total viewers. It was third in its timeslots and held viewers through the two hours, a good indication that they’d be back the following week. And, they did return. The third episode drew about the same as the first two episodes.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last. Week three fell by 19% in the demo. Over the course of the season, the numbers have fluctuated quite a bit week to week, hitting a low of a 2.1 in the demo three times. Terra Nova currently averages a 2.5 in the all-important demo and 7.6 million viewers. It’s the seventh most-watched scripted series on the network, out of 14, and currently has a “C” on our season ratings report card. That’s not bad but certainly not a shoe-in for renewal either. It doesn’t help that the show is very expensive to produce.
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In September, FOX head Kevin Reilly said that, because of the additional production time needed, a decision would have to be made, “Before the first of the year, at the latest. We couldn’t wait until the spring and see how everything else plays out; otherwise, we would never be able to deliver the following year.”
That decision has now been delayed until sometime in 2012. O’Mara recently tweeted, “Decision to pick up #TerraNova for S2 deferred to New Year by @FOXBroadcasting. Everyone involved remains confident and optimistic.”
While this delay doesn’t mean that the show is history, the network isn’t in any hurry to give it a renewal. The network is most likely waiting to see how well new shows Alcatraz and Touch perform before making a commitment to a second season of Terra Nova. If it does gets renewed, depending on how long they wait to make a decision, the episodes may not be ready until mid-season. Given the budget and the ratings, it seems unlikely to get more than a 13 episode order, if it returns at all.
What do you think? Do you hope that Terra Nova gets renewed for a sophomore season or should it be cancelled to make way for something else?
Image courtesy FOX.
Sure there were a couple of lame episodes in S1, but I hear that a team of top flight writers are being lined up in the event of a renewal. And I know that Stephen Lang was just reprising his role in Avatar, minus scars – but that’s exactly the kind of leader you’d need in a brave new world. Overall, this is a great series, and I’m hooked. BRING BACK SEASON TWO!!
Please don’t cancel Terra Nova, I love it, I love the characters, the scenery and even the dinosaurs!!! Please renew it xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Love Terra Nova!! Second season please!!
Greetings! I personally believe that good scripted shows are hard to find. Then Terra Nova came along. It is a refreshing twist on “the end of our world as we know it”. It is well written and the characters have develop quite well. So, I sure hope it will be renewed – but I am not holding my breath (look at what happened to “Boomtown”, “SouthLAnd”, “Caprica”, “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”, and “Dolls” for five quick examples ???). It is petition time? Sign me up!!! Regards.
Please do not discontinue this… it is hard for my family to find a show we all love and want to watch together… this is a great family show that should continue for several more seasons
Please renew terra nova!!! I finally committed to a show (I don’t normally since they always cancel everything) and I cannot wait to see what a season 2 would bring. I am also interested in watching Alcatraz but why bother if they’re just gonna cancel it like all these networks do anyways!!!!! An interesting fact is that several great shows would have all been canceled if they were held to today’s standards such as cheers, friends, Seinfeld and others.
My family just loves this show. It is about time we can all enjoy a show as a family instead of the crap that is on now!
I want to see a 20 episode season 2 . This is a great show with the potential for many many story lines. This show could potentially have as many stories as there are different dinosaurs. I love this show!
My wife and I LOVE Tera Nova ! It is original, exciting and creative. We find ourselves waiting for Monday evenings with pop corn!
Please don’t cancel it !!!!!!
LOVE Terra Nova. Please renew.
Like the series very much,hope season 2 is coming soon !!!
PLEASE RENEW! I’ve watches every episode and enjoyed it!
I love Terra Nova, I can actually watch it with my kids–except for the finale which had a lot of violence it’s actually a really clean cut show. Not to mention the idea of a new land in the past and all the issues they deal with. I certainly hope it is renewed. I have the feeling that because it isn’t a sexual drama/soap opera it probably won’t last, just like all the other tv shows that get canned.
It’s a great program – I look forward to it weekly. All the actors do a really good job! If there was a futuristic world, this program makes it pretty believable. Please bring Terra Nova back for another season or more!
hope it get cancelled this show suck big time in every possibol way.
i dont think people who cant spell should have a right in choosing if the show should be cancelled… terra nova is the best!