A&E has decided to get rid of another original drama series. After two years on the air, they’re dropping The Cleaner.
In The Cleaner, Benjamin Bratt plays William Banks, a recovering drug addict from Los Angeles. Following the birth of his daughter, Banks made a deal with God that he would end his drug use and help others beat their addictions as well. He and his team of recovering addicts use whatever means necessary to help end others’ addictions. Others in the cast include Grace Park, Esteban Powell, Kevin Michael Richardson, Amy Price-Francis, Liliana Mumy, and Brett DelBuono.
The drama kicked off on July 15, 2008 and attracted 2.58 million viewers with a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demo. Season one averaged 1.1 million viewers in initial viewings and 4.2 million through multiple airings. A&E boasted that The Cleaner was the network’s highest rated original drama to date among adults 18-49 and 25-54.
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When the show was renewed for a second season, Bob DeBitetto, A&E’s President and General Manager, said, “The Cleaner has garnered critical acclaim and a loyal audience in its first season… Its authentic, dramatic storytelling combined with superb acting, led by an exceptional performance by Benjamin Bratt, has struck a chord with A&E viewers. It is exactly the sort of high quality, engaging programming that our fans have come to expect.”
Now, following a drop in ratings for season two, A&E has changed its mind about The Cleaner. The second round of episodes concluded on September 15th and, according to THR, the cable channel has decided not to order a third.
No reason was given for the cancellation but A&E typically draws more viewers for cheaper, unscripted programming. The Beast, another A&E drama, was cancelled earlier this year, months prior to star Patrick Swayze’s death.
What do you think? Are you sorry to see The Cleaner go? Was the show any less compelling or watchable in season two?
TV stations now a days suck at choosing which shows need to be cancelled. This show is great and I am very sad to know that it has ended. BOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved this show! I am so disapointed! I will keep my fingures crossed that another network will pick this one up. And I agree, Dog the Bounty Hunter is LAME!
Why are all the best shows getting cancelled??
I am soooo bummed – my FAV show and the ONLY show I watch on A&E…..BAD decision by A&E …take this show off and leave on some of the crap they do ….PLEASE CHANGE YOUR MIND…….GIVE US OUR SHOW BACK !!!!!!!!!!!!
I am very sad to see the show being taken off the air! What happened to threes a charm?!?
Being around addicts it was a good show to watch, you could really relate to the characters for sure! Thanks to A&E we get no ending at all! It’s like you reading a really good book, only to get to the end to find that some jerk ripped out the last few pages!
I hope TNT will pick it up. They seem to pick up all the good shows that get kicked to the curb.
You know it’s just like a major network to drop such a good show. What happened to a third times a charm?!?
I am sad to see the show go. Loved the story lines and all the characters involved. Maybe another network will get smart and pick The Cleaner up….
Faithful watcher,
Beloved7
I am totally bummed I loved that show. Every time I find a show that is worth watching it is cancelled this is crap!!
Looks like A&E made another big mistake. The Cleaner was an excellent show that I believe truly helped people and always taught a lesson. Benjamin Bratt will have no trouble finding a new acting job on a new series with a smarter network. Someone at A&E is making all the wrong decisions. That person needs to be fired!
This is crazy!! The Cleaner is awesome and truly the only show I watch on A&E. The rest of their shows are trash. Time for USA or TNT to pick it up.
This is complete bull! A/E you should be ashamed of yourself. All that so called unscripted crap on your station stinks. Its all staged anyway and no one will convince me otherwise. The cleaner was the only show I watched regularly and you have ruined it. Thank you very much.
That sucks. Loved the show, makes no sense shows like billy the exterminator, dog the ******** bounty hunter still air, but a show that actually reflects life and the problem our society has with drug addiction is cancelled. Makes me realize how screwed up we really are. No wonder other cultures think were stupid and hate us.
Kenneth, I so agree with you. Cancelling a show like The Cleaner and keeping one like Billy the Exterminator shows where the US’ head really is at, in reality shows. I wish someone can take that show back up, it was so wonderful. And we did not even get closure as to what happened with Banks and his wife. That arc of the show was also going very interesting. It seems A&E did not even care to at least make a 2-hour TV movie to give us closure. Such a pity.
I’m very disappointed to see this show go, being a recovering addict I realated to this show in alot of ways, so yes I’m very sad to see my favorite show taken off air!!!
As soon as I saw Whoopie Goldberg was added to the cast I knew the show was doomed. This was a great show.
Funny one regarding Whoopi, Bob. But don’t blame Whoopi for the show’s demise. These networks prefer reality shows like Dog the Bounty Hunter to a wonderful, exciting and interesting, helpful show like The Cleaner. I wished that another network had taken it up. It’s not too late. I don’t see Benjamin Bratt doing anything else right now, and he’s just awesome in this show.
I loved this show I am very sad there will be no thrid season. It was such a huge cliff hanger at the end. I want to know what happened between banks and his wife.
Of course. Another one of my favorite shows with a special lead actor and a very special theme is no longer available. This is so disappointing!