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?
They did NOT leave the Finder with a satisfactory ending to the series… it felt like gross injustice, and it was more than a little sad. I wish that networks had to make an agreement that if they start a series, they have to end it tied up in a neat little bow for viewers, so you don’t feel cheapened by watching shows for a whole season.
So it’s already been said by 587 people… but I am very upset to see the finder cancelled. It was one of the VERY few shows I loved. So many great shows just disappear. Surface was one of my favorites and after the first season it was canceled because the station “couldn’t see where the show was going.” Maybe if they had a bit of imagination they would have been able to see that it could have gone a million places and been a great show. JUST LIKE THE FINDER!!!!!!!! ~Sighs~ Sorry… I just get a little pissy when thinking… Read more »
Finally a show that was entertaining. Now its gone! It was a nice blend of entertainment…not so complicated that if you miss an episode you have to quit the series or a dumb reality show that insults the common persons intelligence. What is wrong with being entertained? Networks spend too much time trying to figure out what form of stupid reality Shows they can find and then renew them season after season. They are insulting the American population. The networks need to find a different group of people to evaluate their shows.
Unbeleivable. Another show that had positive messages, great writing, and was funny and quirky. Fox never marketed the show properly ang trying to put it against American Idol was not the brightest move. Then to Friday night was a purposeful way to kill the show.
I DVR’d the show and watched the shows a few times each. Way to go Fox. You have a gem and decided to throw it away.
I thought the finale ending with the Eliza Gilkyson song “Is it Like Today (How has it come to this?)” was just awesome. Hopefully USA Network, AMC, or some other network sees the value in this great series and picks it up.
What the hell? This show was so intelligent! FOX sucks, now the only show left to watch on their channel is Glee!
Help PROTEST the cancellation of #TheFinder by joining the #SendAMapEvent! Details HERE http://keepthefinder.wordpress.com/send-a-map-event-info/ #SaveTheFinder
Want #TheFinder back? PETITION here http://www.thepetitionsite.com/406/663/146/save-the-finder-on-fox/
And like the FB Page! http://www.facebook.com/SaveTheFinder
#savethefinder
Everyone suggest USA takes #TheFinder: http://www.usanetwork.com/feedback/?success Choose: USA Network Programming and then Suggest a Show!
Just when I get interested in a show….seems like the problem was ads. I never knew this show was even on. Never saw ads on Hulu. I had to stumble across it….and just how many of us serious TV watchers actually watched American Idol this year? Find a different spot for the show, just don’t cancel it.
The Finder was a great show. I love all the characters and the stories were very entertaining. I think, in this day and age, that the networks should take into consideration that alot of people watch shows on “on demand” and DVR etc… AFTER the first airing of the episode. So maybe they are not getting accurate statistics regarding how many viewers actually like a show. They should have a survey on their website, where people can go to vote on the shows that they want to get picked up for a new season… for the people who watch the… Read more »
I enjoyed the show’s unique approach to solving problems & the interesting development of the different character’s personalities….wish they would renew it…won’t watch reality tv….
Unfortunately the pilot of The Finder kind of sucked and I don’t think the show ever recovered from that. Had the one of the last few episodes been the pilot, I think there is a decent chance that it would have made it. Kind of sad, I had already gotten to “know” the characters. Ah well, it is what it is.
Seriously??
I am getting close to just unplugging the TV from the wall, and just using it for watching DVD’s. If the public just wants “Reality” crap then let a meteor hit the planet now and get it over with. This was a cool show, good story line, no magic, quirky and fun. It seems that FOX are determined to be known just for bad television.
Funny, quirky,clever, happy and very entertaining just what we all need in these times, so lets take it off and put on some mind dumbing rubbish that gets the advertisers juices flowing for 5 minutes and then dump that and on it goes.
Am I glad I live in Australia where we get the best of TV from around the world
I can’t believe they’ll take this off, but they’ll renew crap left right and center. The casting and plots were fantastic, at least find a way to let it run a second season. I can’t believe we’re going to be left wondering what happens to Willa, how Walter got out of the pickle with the Marshalls..and poor Leo! Do they count people who watch the shows on-demand after the fact? I even subscribed to Hulu so I could see them sooner! I literally paid $7.99 so I could watch this and Bones sooner. I’m looking forward to USA bringing back… Read more »
This was a GREAT show–the cast was incredible. Do these networks even consider how many people watch it on the internet? Course you have to wait eight days but the advertisers are still making money….