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.
Fox should NOT cancel this series. We need to keep a balance from the proliferation of reality and murder mystery shows.
Love this show needs to come back for another season!
Love the show, please don’t cancel
Please bring back Terra Nova for another season! We love the show and do not want to see it end.
My kids and husband love it and we look forward to watching every week. As a family enjoy the suspense of what will happen to the Shannon family week to week.
Please Please keep this show it is what we look forward to every week!! We never keep up with a show why would you cancel such a good show??? Who does these ratings cause its terribly wrong! Keep Terra Nova PLEASE
My family and I look forward to watching this together on family tv night every week. We watch it as one of our favorites on Hulu and we hope that this show does not get cancelled. This is a great family program that we all enjoy and we all hope that Fox television realizes that people watch this program on more than just regular television broadcasting. I am sure there are many viewers that watch this excellent program on Hulu or use their computers to watch. Please Don’t cancel this series.
renew-renew-renew. the show is getting more interesting by the week. to me they always cancell the shows that should be renewed.
Please do not cancel Terra Nova, I PVR it and watch it every week. It is one of my favorite shows.
I am will for sure watch this Christmas eve when the kids go to bed on demand with Comcast. Please dont cancel!
I dont watch TV that much, Im always busy with kids, work, and cleaning. I really hope you guys continue Terra Nova. It really is such a good action and heart felt show. Please keep your followers posted at Fox. I will be so disappointed.
Besides Dancing with the Stars, on ABC, this is my favorite show on Fox. I don’t usually watch Fox at all, but when I saw this the first time, I was hooked. My son taped the first 7 episodes for me, then I was able to watch each week, myself. I am so involved in this show, I would be devastated if it does not come back on. PPPLLLEEEAAASSSEEE!!!!!!!!!!!! BRING IT BACK.
This show is refreshing. It tells a rish story with characters that you grow to care about. We seem to live in a world mired in shows like Jersey Shore and Survivor. The Art of scripted shows is being undermined and in many cases shows are Not given a chance by there networks. Please don’t become the hate nation that Sci-Fy network has become, and please renew Terra Nove for MORE then 13 episodes. A rich and deverse story takes time and long mid-season breaks and short BBC type seasons are killers in the north American market.
I really hope that Terra Nova is renewed next season! My son is a huge dinosaur fanatic and we watch it every week! Sometimes we record it if he falls asleep too early, but we never failed to watch it. It is nice that we can watch something that we both like! Please bring it back next season! We definitely want to find out what happens to the colony!
I LOVE THIS SHOW!!!!
I just love the show and hope you continue the series. The sets are outstanding and acting is great. You have to bring it back and tell everyone what is in the Bad Lands.