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.
What a HUGE mistake…….we loved the Defenders. Great cast, especially Jim Belushi, we are so disappointed. Sure wish CBS would reconsider…..what a poor decision.
The Defenders was wonderfully entertaining. You had a show with 2 great actors and some good writing. Since you don’t have the since to keep it, I would love to see another network pick them up!
The Defenders was a much better show than NCISucksinLA. Had it been shoved to Friday and Defenders taken that slot; we would still be laughing at John and Jerry. The NCIS stepchild would be history.
I BLAME THE CANCELLATION GOOD SHOWS LIKE “THE DEFENDERS”, “DETROIT 187”, “OUTLAW”, ” UNDERCOVERS ” AND “HUMAN TARGET” ON THE LOW ATTENTION SPAN AND MENTAL APTITUDE O F THE 18 – 49 DEMOGRAPHIC, 18 – 35 YEAR OLDS IN PARTICULAR. IN A WORLD OF ULTIMATE IMMEDIACY OF EVERYTHING, NON-READERS AND NOT -SO- BRIGHT PEOPLE, PROGRAMS WITH GOOD CHARACTERS AND ENGAGING, WITTY DIALOGUE DOESN’T HAVE A CHANCE TO STAY ON THE AIR. UNFORTUNATELY WE ARE A REALITY SHOW SOCIETY. MY WORST FEARS HAVE COME TRUE. ……………….JUST LIKE THAT RAP CRAP IN MUSIC, THE REALITY SHOW ON TELEVISION IS HERE TO STAY.… Read more »
I loved it sorry to see it go.
It’s certainly not worth ever investing in network shows anymore. They don’t give any new shows a fighting chance. It sucks!!! This show is soooo entertaining. I just love the actors, and their chemistry together is great. It’s a fun show with just enough of a balance of drama and fun. I hope a cable network picks this show up. Boo to network tv!
ARE YOU KIDDING PLEASE PUT IT BACK ON
I am so angry I could not watch “The Defenders” anymore. I write you from Spain (Europe). My boyfriend and I found this TV series one day and we became fans at the moment. It was the perfect combination of comedy and a serious TV series of attorneys. We loved it, and we were looking forwards for the season 2. We are soy disappointed with CBS decision. It’s a real pity.
I am so disappointed to just learn that there will be no second season for The Defenders. My husband and I really enjoyed the characters and story lines that this show followed. Not so much gore and those gruesome stories that leave you thinking this is an awful world! At least these guys had a lighthearted way of helping folks and, quite frankly, it just left you feeling better and not sick at heart! We have long been sick of the depressing story lines that other shows portray.
pleaseee! i’ve already arranged my schedule to watch the defenders! please! make a second season D:
I love this show. I work swing shift, so I record it on my DVR. I just finished watching the last episode last night. I am disappointed that this show was cancelled. I am so tired of all the reality crap. I am with sattphire72 on the whole movie thing.
this is another good fun show with FANTASTIC actors who really made the series something worth watching. Do you count how many of us DVR these shows to watch later because we cannot always watch them when they are on?????
to great actors great show not csi why why why
Complete morons! Whoever decides to pull these shows need to get their head out of their azzes. I HATE big brothers or survivors and watch very selective channels due to all the bs shows they play so 90% of the time I watch movies due to this reason….. Its coming to the point I am gonna cut my cable and just buy dvds or watch netflix.
Please, can’t you give The Defenders one more season? Air it after NCIS. Defenders is a great show. I can’t believe you let it go. This show had so much going for it, give it a chance.