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?
Dont bother to watch any new Fox shows as wont get pass first season, Terra Nova prime example, bunch of idiots in charge of Fox.
I turly think Fox got it wrong, I turly enjoyed this show and I hope they change their minds and bring it back on Friday nights because friday night are boring without it. So please consider it .
Me and my wife loved the show please bring it back. Remember Star Trek how it started and what it is now
My husband and I are watching The Finder on Hulu and we LOVE it! Boo on Fox for not having the guts and good sense to nurture it a little better.
My husband and I loved Finder. We wished it was still on the air. I hope they change their minds and give it a second season.
I really wish this show had lasted!!! I LOVED it!!!
I enjoyed the show, I think its downfall was that it was on fox. Some shows just dont do very well on certain networks. I watched a lot of great shows disappear to bad marketing combined with horrible time slots. Its was a good show but they used as a place holder for bones. Its just not a show they really dig, they like bones so most just turned away. It was show that was not given a good chance because fox creats place holder shows that only stay if they become like the next big thing.
It was a great show. No tv is believable and him being crazy made it funny. It was an awful ending!!!!!! Fox needs to air one more episode with everything a little happier. Its not right to just leave people hanging.
I am disappointed. The cast/characters seemed to work with good chemistry. Maybe it would have succeeded if the ‘gift’ of the finder and his approach to solving was somehow more believable – not meaning like Ghost Whisperer or Perception though. Laying on the floor and staring at a maze of strings and lights just didn’t work for me. Also, the story lines needed to be about ‘finding’ something more interesting and meaningful than a cook in witness protection from an anniversary dinner years earlier. There are a number of ‘lost’ and/or unsolved stories from real life and I am sure… Read more »
I’m so tired of “original” tv programming being replaced by these horrible Reality Series! The Finder was a truly wonderful show that unfortunately was not advertised properly and was placed up against long running series on other networks from the get go. This show deserves another chance…and here’s a suggestion, TELL PEOPLE ABOUT IT…Especially if you are going to change its nights! I was furious to see that it wasn’t on one Thursday because I had no idea it had moved to Friday. Fox, your marketing department dropped the ball here, the show could have been your next Bones. Shame… Read more »
I agree with Alice…kowtowing to the majority is a sure fire way to eliminate the freshest and most creative shows. Reality TV is awful and shows that get to stick around (like that gooey, corny ‘The Glades’) do so solely to sell more crap to the mildly challenged. Bring back ‘The Finder’!
i loved this show it was never promoted properly, great cast, setting was awesome they did not give this enough time, it would have improved with each season. one of the most interesting plots, sick of all the reality tv shows. sorry to see it go.
I can’t believe that you cancelled the Finders. It was smart, made you think, had a great cast and I watched it whenever it was on and not moved. I believe that the constant movement put it in a compromised position of people to watch it. Shame on you!
If the show had been promoted and not moved around it might have gotten the numbers. It was well written funny, and had heart. Too bad the network only wants to give viewers unimaginative, mind-numbing garbage. Hopefully the powers-that-be at FOX will reconsider and bring back one of the few enjoyable shows of the last few seasons.
This show was a great hit, I havent seen anyone who didnt like it. Those numbers are really odd.