Pete Kaczmarek and Nick Morelli consistently get themselves and their clients out of some pretty big jams. Unfortunately, there’s one that they can’t escape. Their TV series, The Defenders, has been cancelled by CBS after one season.
The Defenders follows a pair of Las Vegas lawyers who will do just about anything for their Sin City clients. They often take on cases no one else will touch and try to keep their sanity while doing it. The TV show stars Jerry O’Connell, Jim Belushi, Jurnee Smollett, Tanya Fischer, and Gillian Vigman.
The TV series got off to a decent start with a 2.9 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic and 12.17 million viewers. In weeks two and three, those numbers started to tumble however with the demo falling 14% and then another 12% in weeks two and three. Airing on Wednesday nights, the ratings kept falling and hit a low of a 1.5 in the demo and 6.8 million.
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Because The Defenders was already registering poor numbers, CBS decided to try it on Friday nights, an evening with fewer viewers. If most fans followed and the show could sustain the Wednesday numbers, CBS would likely have been satisfied.
That didn’t happen and the remaining six installments fell even lower, hitting a 1.1 in the demo. That was a much worse performance than the timeslot’s previous occupant, already-cancelled Medium.
While The Defenders was supposedly still in contention for a second season until recently, most knew it was a long shot at best.
Word is that CBS has now cancelled The Defenders. All 18 produced episodes have aired. The series finale ran on March 11th.
What do you think? Are you sorry that there won’t be a second season for The Defenders?
Wondering where the rest of your shows stand? Check our CBS cancel/renew page.
Image courtesy CBS.
it is ashame it was canceled… don’t do it, bring it back…
I am so sorry to hear that the Defenders has been cancelled. I really liked the show, and thought it was better than some of the other series’ that have been kept on. I don’t understand why they move shows all over the place, or they put a show on at time when the best series in the world would tank; then the network wonders why a show hasn’t developed a loyal viewership. I can’t count how many shows I’ve gotten interested in only to find after a few weeks they’ve been cancelled. It is very frustrating! Soon, the only… Read more »
What a shame. GREAT TV show with GREAT actors. CBS youve got it wrong.
The defenders was a good show. They need to put it on a certain day at a the same time and let it run. They didnt give it a chance. By moving it to Fridays was dumb and only confused people as to what was going on with the show. Air the show another season and show commericals of it often so people know of the show!!!
Very disappointed …recorded every episode and was looking forward to its return.
It beat the pants off those silly survival shows with no thought;
Come on CBS; do something right for a change and stop those crazy shuffling for ratings, and ad profits;
HOW SAD IS THIS? I watched this series faithfully, even with the change to Friday night, and was looking forward to the return next season. Please get a clue and replace your junk shows, like “Mike & Molly” (???) with something worth watching, like The Defenders!
damn i loved that show .it seemed like after they moved it ,they kept getting bumped in my area anyway ,comon cbs bring them back take one of the stupid reality shows off instid.
The Defenders is fresh, funny and poignant. Jim Belushi shows his range being funny one minute and warm and sincere wrapping up his summations. This show along with Blue Bloods are the best shows I have seen in years. Right up there with Jim Huttons Ellery Queen my pick for the best show of the 70’s. It is unfortunate any show with class doesn’t last long.
This is a really entertaining show and it was beginning to find its legs…give it a chance…Jerry O. was really starting to feel his role and get comfortable…Belushi is Belushi and thats fine with me – really like this guy …keep this show…please.
That sucks. Finally, theres a show on Tv with good stories, good characters, that isn’t morbid and is actually a little enlightening, and they cancel it because people aren’t watching TV enough? Why do they do that? I really liked this show , I don’t think I missed an episode for a long time (at least while it was still on Wednesday). I did find myself missing it a lot later on for several different reasons (which didn’t have to do with the show). I got less into it personally because a) they kept showing re-runs way too early on… Read more »
cbs you needed to give The Defenders another chance, cancelled it to soon. find a time slot and day and leave it alone!great show love jim and jerry together and the rest of the cast…get a clue cbs
This show was so entertaining! When will networks stop moving shows around on different time slots & days. CBS needed to give the show a chance to develop. I will truly miss it!
This was a good show that was moved around so much…I watched every episode and thought it was more of an adult show, but it kept moving times and never really found an audience. I think if it started at a later hour and on the same day of the week, audiences would have found it. Sorry to hear it is gone….
Great show!! So sad to hear that it will not be back!!