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?
It is a great show! As a fan of the show it was hard to keep track of when it was on since they moved it all the time! No wonder the ratings suffered. Too bad, I hope another network see its value and picks it up.
Fox sucks certainly didnt give the show a chance!!! I loved that show, and I will miss it
What the Walter Walter? This sucks. So upset that fox is canceling this show. Would love to see it picked up by USA network. Some people just don’t know a good show.
THEY ARE CRAZY! PUT IT BACK ON!
So disappointed that it’s cancelled, looked forward to ending the long week with this show…. another reality crap show to replace it, well Fox i definately won’t be watching….
That really sucks. Another great show down the tube.
Friggin stupid reality shows.
Bummer! The Finder was great just as it was – great characters, quirky storylines. Geoff Stults is terrific! Hopefully enough fans will complain and it will be back. I could care less about “reality” shows.
why cancel a good show. I looked forward to watching it. Take American Idol off
I am also very disappointed. Fox had a gem on their hands. I viewed the show as a great mix of shows like the character from the Mentalists meets the guys from Psych as a team from Bones, what a great combination of characters and actors blended, if only Fox and their scheduling would have appreciated and gave the series it’s do to catch on in regular time slot. I loved the the show it was one of my top 3 for the season and never missed an episode. I wish that TV stations would give their shows and audience… Read more »
Has changing the time of show on the line ever helped in the ratings? Thanks again Fox…
I loved The Finder, it was smart and funny and Geoff Stults was hilarious. I hope there is some kind of push to get it renewed or maybe even on another channel (TNT, TBS, USA, FX). Alcatraz I enjoyed also and sad that it didn’t get renewed. I was hooked
I agree with Mr. or Mrs. Anonymous…. I loved the show & hate reality stuff !!! I guess we were not enough viewers. (The Event, V, Flash forward, The Good guys need I go on)
It is a shame that The Finder has been cancelled. I am really disappointed! We definately do not need more reality tv. So overdone! This show was fresh and the characters were smart.
The Finder is one of our favorite shows, and FOX programmers are idiots. OF COURSE, the ratings dropped when it was moved from Thursday night to Friday night — we totally missed the first Friday episode because we didn’t know it had been changed to Friday nights!!! Once we found out, we became so excited about Friday nights. The characters are great and the writing is intelligent and humorous. We hate reality TV — will NOT watch it. We, too, will remain loyal to Bones, but turn to CBS for our most-viewed shows.
I am so disappointed that you are canceling The Finder!! I am a mom of soon to be 3 and not ask for much but to be able to watch my shows..The Finder being one of them… GIVE IT ANOTHER CHANCE AND ADVERTISE IT MORE!! I didn’t even know that the time slots had change luckily my DVR pick it up and I didn’t miss any shows!!!