Bones has been a quiet hit for FOX but the same can’t be said for its spin-off, The Finder. FOX has now cancelled the low-rated series after one season.
The Finder is a procedural series that revolves around a man (Geoff Stults) with the extraordinary ability to help people find the unfindable. Other castmembers include Maddie Hasson, Mercedes Masohn, and Michael Clarke Duncan.
The spin-off debuted on January 12th to a disappointing 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 5.50 million total viewers. It was fourth in its Thursday night timeslot right out of the gate and lost nearly 30% of the all-important demo from its compatible lead-in, Bones. This was not a good start.
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Things picked up a bit in the following weeks, thanks in large part to the show having FOX’s blockbuster American Idol as a lead-in. Still, the numbers weren’t as high as they should have been.
After seven weeks on the air, FOX put Finder on hiatus and then moved it to Friday nights, giving its Thursday timeslot to Touch. If The Finder could maintain a healthy percentage of its viewers after the switch, it would likely garner a renewal.
But that didn’t happen and Finder’s numbers dropped like a rock. In its first Friday airing, the freshman series attracted a 1.1 demo rating — an episode-to-episode loss of 53% — with just 4.03 million viewers. The numbers for future episodes fluctuated a bit but didn’t really get any more encouraging. The network could do just as well or better by running cheaper reality programming.
The season finale of The Finder is set to air this Friday night and there won’t be any episodes after that. Hopefully the producers saw the writing on the wall early enough and won’t leave viewers hanging with any major unresolved storylines.
What do you think? What went wrong with this show? Why do you think The Finder failed to attract a bigger audience? Was cancelling the series the right decision? How would you have fixed it?
Where do they get these numbers? I don’t watch much of anything live. My kids and I watched every Finder episode but also on DVR. This stinks. I really hope another station picks it up.
Seriously??? They cancelled this show?!??! It was awesome! I did not see any reason for this cancellation. The acting was great, the characters were perfectly developed, and the storyline kept me glued to my TV. As another said.. Another dumb move, just like Firefly!
Fox sucks again. Takes good shows off and lets the crap, KEEP THE FINDER
It should not have been cancelled. I don’t think enough time was given to the show to see if it had a chance. Changed the day/time slot too quickly. Going on hiatus is never a good way to keep a fan base. Same thing happened with Heroes. I know that was due to writers strike, but still time off gives people time to find something else. Also, shows that were left were played out of order which is frustrating and skews the storyline. I think it is worth saving. Maybe another network needs to pick it up if Fox can’t… Read more »
Damn, Damn, Damn What is going on? Fox I love your news but, you obviously have a problem with keeping a prospective hit show on tv. The next time you do a spinoff give it enough legs in marketing and keep it on the same time slot if possible. There is too much out there to watch and people are lazy and won’t chase you to find your new shows. Give this amazing casts another chance somehow. They are an amazing colloboration. What happens to Walter? This show was for thinkers also and had an intellectual flavor to it. Keep… Read more »
Fox u suck. U cancel all good shows and u tryed canceling sons also. The finder that’s the best show bring it back. I know if it doesn’t come back on I wont watch fox
Way to go FOX! Firefly and The Finder! yet The Simpsons hasn’t been funny in years! Expecting a new show on a Friday at 8pm to do well is kinda like asking Gordon Ramsey to not swear on his shows!
I really wish they weren’t cancelling this show…it’s another one of Fox’s greater mistakes..along cancelling Family Guy and Futurama
Love this show and Bones. Down with reality shows. I’d go for a good drama any day.
Keep The Finder
I love then finder. I cant believe they are canceling it. It is a great show. I love all the actors. The finder will be missed. And the the last show had u wanted more. I am so upset that it wasn’t given a whole year.
The finder was my favorite show! Bring it back!
Funny how the good shows get canceled all the time,but American Idol,Survivor, real housewives and all those dumb shows that never change year after year still stay on the air. Fox needs to grow up and stop getting stuck in what works. They cancelled family guy and now have it back when they lost viewers. Hmmmm.
My entire family is very upset. I have 3 young children and there seems to very few shows that have some action with fun loving humor. We taped this show weekly via DVR and watched it every weekend as a family. Now it’s gone. The characters were enjoyable and loveable. A great balance. Very disappointed. We all are.
What is it with american tv shows being scraped before they get to te end of the first season? This was one of the best shows i’ve seen this year and easily deserves to have a second chance. Far better that the last season of Californication and The Office, which both seem to have lost their way.
One of our favorite shows…what a bummer…enjoyed everyone on the cast and the unique story lines. Bring it back!