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?
Why do they always cancel the interesting shows before there is a good enough conclusion…. that crap just bugs me, firefly dark angel and john doe are a few examples of good shows canceled too soon…
I drew so many comparisons to Firefly, another gem FOX cancelled before it’s time. My husband and I love this show.
I think that it is not fair to judge The Finder as a failure. This show had much of the quirk and humor as Monk, Psych or other successful slightly-broken-main-character-sleuth-type shows. The real issue is that the day and time slot for shows are major determinants in the success and ratings of shows. The producers/network set the show up for failure by moving it to Fridays: the day of the week viewers are more likely to be out, busy with weekend plans rather than staying in to sit in front of their TVs. I also think that whatever viewer following… Read more »
fox is a the worst three good shows they canceled after one season The Finder , Tera Nova and Firefly they don’t give the shows a chance to get their viewers they move the shows around and people can’t find them. shows take time for the cast to form a bond make the show a hit bring these shows back .One other thing moving Bones to Monday night is a bad idea should have stayed with Thur. , The Finder doomed when it was moved to Friday because the viewers that watch it on Thur. went out on Friday Night.
I say it’s time to BOYCOTT Fox and go for independent TV….
I represent some of the uncounted, perhaps, viewers who only watch tv on the internet. I watched every episode of the finder on-line and Loved it. I don’t watch any reality tv. None. Ever. My kids watch it with me, my friends watch it online too. Bring it back pah lese! FOX come on…
Same here. I watch it on Hulu every week. I pay to watch it on Hulu every week because I loved the Finder. So now Fox has hurt Hulu as well as I am not interested in watching anything else on their listings and will be canceling my subscription. I think Fox is run by no talent ass clowns. Everyone I know loved the Finder, and Firefly. This is why I no longer watch television, I love a show and they kill it. I was the same with Pushing Daisies and Reaper. All the good shows get killed.
They need more shows like this. There are too many reality shows.
Please bring it back or wrap it up. Don’t leave it hanging.
If the networks were as quick to cancel shows as they are now we never would have seen such shows as Seinfeld or Cheers reach season 2! This was a great show… of course the ratings went down after they switched nights, I didn’t even know it was on until I noticed a new episode on my DVR! I really hate reality shows, and that all these networks are producing these days. Finally there was something worth watching, and they take it off the air…
The whole reason it is cancelled is cause idiot views want to see crap like x craptor or america dull me. No one wants a show any more that does not involve then being able to sit and stare at the tv. Heaven forbid Americans having to think that in itself is a crime. There pencil pushing idiots that make decisions like this don’t care what the few of up have to say all they care about is their wallet. Oh well let’s say goodbye to a great show that was loved and say hello to either some dumb reality… Read more »
I loved The Finder. I always recorded it and then watched it, but it is my favorite show since Ware House 13. I truly cant believe they it would not be renewed. I did not like any of the other new shows this season.
Please bring this show back, I think the networks are making a big mistake.
R u kidding me! This was a cool show!
I agree with Vicki. I never liked Bones and I’m not much of a fan of this genre, but I tuned in every week on Hulu to watch The Finder. The scripts were smart, the jokes were both fun and funny, and well the cast had a decent chemistry.
Interestingly enough, the show ended with plenty of unresolved plot lines…
I can’t believe they would cancel such a fun show. My whole family enjoyed this show. Then to also leave us hanging. Hopefully they reconsider and bring it back. Pleeeeaaaase bring it back. We need great shows like this.
My husband and I have enjoyed this show from the beginning. We can not believe it is being cancelled. It is light and entertaining. The characters are easy to accept and the show is great entertainment for all ages. Stop with the reality crap and get back to basics. Shows like Bones and the Finder are basic television fare and should be extended and not cancelled.
they canceled the finder and keep the worst shows cough cough napoleon dynamite