Tonight marks the final episode of The Defenders for the season. How likely is the CBS freshman series to be back next fall with season two?
The Defenders follows a pair of lawyers operating out of Las Vegas. They’ll do just about anything for their Sin City clients, often taking on cases no one else will touch, and try to keep their sanity while doing it. The TV show stars veterans Jerry O’Connell and Jim Belushi as well as Jurnee Smollett, Tanya Fischer, and Gillian Vigman.
For its premiere, the series dominated its timeslot with a 2.9 in the coveted 18-49 demographic and 12.2 million total viewers. That put the new show in first place in both categories and essentially doubled the performance of ABC’s now-cancelled, The Whole Truth.
Unfortunately, The Defenders’ audience slowly eroded over the course of the season and by January had hit a new low of a 1.5 rating in the demo and 6.81 million viewers. CBS switched the series to Fridays in February and, not surprisingly, the ratings got worse. On Fridays, Defenders has averaged a 1.3 demo rating and that’s worse than what now-cancelled Medium was getting in the same timeslot.
If you look at the season averages, The Defenders is one of CBS’ worst performers. Though the network has not officially cancelled it yet, it is hard to imagine that CBS execs would consider renewing it for a second season.
What do you think? Should The Defenders be cancelled? Why do you think the series hasn’t attracted a bigger audience?
Image courtesy CBS.
Please renew season two cos I can’t find any other lawyers that make me laugh the way they do…
I vote to keep this show. I love it ! Put it in a good time slot and leave it there. I think that when a show is moved in the season that the ratings will go down farther because people can’t find it. I love a good attorney series and The Defenders is truely a great one.
I loved the defenders i used to watch them all the time with my family, the cast was great, the situatiuons they would get their customers out of was great. Bring it back please
I love this show!! I had never even heard of it and found it on netflix and watched the whole season. I can’t even believe that they would think of canceling it. I think it should be better advertised, becuase I never saw anything about the show.
I feel that they shouldn’t cancel the show it was so good. They should be bringing out another season not thinking of stopping it.
Please bring this show back it was so fun and entertaining! Their relationship was so great and the episodes were well written!!!! Get them in a great time slot and they will soar!!!! So much fun is this series!!! BRING THEM BACK!!!!
Bring the Defenders back. I find it hard to believe it didn’t have enough viewers. Put it on at a different time-do something. The acting was great. The story line great! I also watch Bones, all the CSI’s, Law and Order, The Firm, The Good Wife, Blue Bloods and can’t wait to see Dallas again. It needs to be put back on.
please, please bring this back. I loved this show and really miss
. They are a great team.
I’m from thailand and i saw this series on the TV once and I LOVED IT.
I’ve infact purchased a complete set of Season 1 and was waiting for season 2.
this is one of the best series i’ve ever seen. it’s much better than other shows that i’ve watched.
I think CBS should continue with season 2, even though it had a slow response in the viewer rating. But CBS should give abit more time as the series are slowly picking up it’s pace.
I think The Defenders should be given one more chance.
I like this show it was starting to take off. Theres not many good series left. U get tired of all verity show and u get tired of them
This was agreat show.y do u people take off the good ones
The Defenders was a fresh TV series in a network lineup dominated by “cops or feds-are-always-right/everybody else is a scumbag” TV shows. The show didn’t work because Jim Belushi and Jerry Oconnell were miscast, which is why the series started out with good ratings but lost their audience through the course of the season. Loved the show, didn’t like the two lead actors (two actors who were good in other projects).
I loved the Defenders. I like the silly anticks they played with eachother. The time slot doesn’t matter to me. I go to bed at 7pm to get up early, so I record everything. Almost every cable company has some sort of recording device these days. The time slot shouldn’t be a problem for anybody anymore. And yes, I still watch the commercials. I gotta see who’s got what on sale so I can shop on my days off….! Please don’t cancel the Defenders.
I loved the defenders. You had great actors but bad time slots. Give them a chance to grow give them another shot bring them back.
I think the defenders is a great show if the network would give it a better time slot and leave it there for a whole season. The rating system is such a bunk but networks live and die by them. You have a great cast give them a change to had build on their audience, NCIS had a tough first season now they are in their 10thaudience year! They are running the fool out of Harry’s law which is what they should be doing with The Defenders, in the off season put the shows from last season and promote the… Read more »