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?
… to add to Aaron’s comment. Fox has come up with some great dramadies only to (purposly) dirve them into the ground in favor of cheaper “reality” shows that have nothing to do with anyone’s reality.
The Finder was habit forming, it characters engaging, and was set in Key West. What more could you ask for?
One of the very few shows I look forward to watching. Please put back on the line up
I loved “The Finder”. Watched all the episode. It made me laugh a lot.
Didn’t feel good to know it’s been canceled.
Okay, so I’m home a lot on Friday nights…BUT…at least I had something to look forward to on tv. The Finder was/is a great show! Please, please bring it back!
Errr…first Firefly, then Terra Nova, and now the Finder. I will try harder to avoid FOX’s series in the future no matter how awesome. I think they need better marketing. I didn’t even find these series until the first was almost over.
Oh,please,please,pleace don’t cancel Finder!!!!
I realy like this film. The film is very good and interesting!!!
I’m waiting for season 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Best wishes from Israel
Wife and I like the show, one of the very few I made time to watch. My opinion a huge mistake to cancel it.
I love the Finder. Maybe move it to a different time slot. It’s nice to have a different kind of show. Please try it on a new day/time.
Sheri Goss
I liked this show. It was smart and well-acted. Do not know why they changed the cast from the Bones episode. Missed comparisons that they did on the chalkboard. Did not know why they added the gypsy girl. Please rerun episodes so that more people can “find” the Finder! Give it more of a chance! Geoff Stults and Michael Clark Duncan had real chemistry! Funny show.
Come on fox. I just found out about this show. It’s really good. Give it a second season if it’s not to late. Some people despise Idol, like me, and for that reason I never even knew it was on. If you had actually advertised it then I might have known about it. Boo fox.
Typical of FOX. I guess having a show on that the entire family could watch was just a little too cute for FOX. My guess is if the Finder would have had inappropriately dressed woman or made crude comments it would be around forever. If only they would have dropped in some “F” bombs.
One of our favorite shows. A travesty to cancel it! Think we’ll boycott Fox!
USA should pick up The Finder. It is a better fit with their summer programming. They should re-air season one episodes this summer so that more people can “find it” and then continue with season two next year. Although our whole family watches Bones, The Finder may not appeal to the entire Bones demo and needs a fresh start on another network. The “Monk” and “Psyche” demos are definately better for this show than Bones and American Idol. Bad marketing and poor timeslots can doom any show. MASH was saved by picking up more followers during summer re-airings before coming… Read more »
This show was truly something different, not just more of the same – another reality/medical/crime drama. The wholesome vibe created by this show is a breath of fresh air in an industry cluttered with look-a-like copycats. I echo Fords comment above and think to the cancellation of the show “Firefly” after one season and it’s now cult-like following. Here’s to hoping innovation won’t be lost in the frey once again…
I like this show a lot.
This is one of the best show’s we watch in Ukraine & Russia.
The people at FOX dont be stupid!!!!!. You cancel a really good show.
You are sad, little people, FOX. This was a really good show, with some GREAT writers. It’s been awhile since that’s happened. Such a shame. Once again the clueless lead the charge on what they think will be good TV. (sigh)
It is a shame that this show will not have a season two as I thought that it was not only original but enjoyable as it was not one of the same old shows that are on all the other channels. The last episode left so many questions unanswered….