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?
just goes to show all the good stuff gets cancelled. I don’t need to watch the crap they call reality shows. Hate those shows and never watch them.
Very very sad to hear that Michael Clarke Duncan has passed away. I loved his character on The Finder, as well as in all his other roles. I great man with kind eyes. I guess it would be tough to bring The Finder back without him. I fully concur with the majority of comments made here. The Finder was a great show. The cast were likeable and the stories entertaining. As with many others both my wife and I are sick to the back teeth with the drivel TV networks have been pushing over the last two decades. Reality TV… Read more »
Just goes to show. Networks can throw on reality crap at a fraction of the cost of a well written and produced shows, and the masses of cattle just zone out and watch. Until we demand better programming drivel is all we will get. This is the fourth interesting and different show my husband and I have really enjoyed tat has been canceled
So sad to hear about Michael Clarke Duncan. I thought he was a great character in this. Rest in peace dude. And it’s a shame The Finder was cancelled, we’ve got a few episodes left here in the UK, and I think it was promoted well over here by Universal Channel. I suppose it would be difficult to keep it running anyway after losing such an integral character. Michael Clarke Duncan was funny, clever and likeable in so many of his roles. What a sad string of events.
Finially a good show with a likable cast and the bean counters cancel it. Maybe it’s time to cancel the bean counters. Relook at the demographics maybe. Of course I enjoyed No Ordinary Family also and that got the axe. Time to leave the networks and crawl in bed with cable/satellite. I dvr everything and will continue to do so until the US wises up regarding the commercials they air.
I do know that No Ordinary Family was not a Fox series, but used it as an example of what interests me, but got canceled. If we need to stay with Fox, well…… I really enjoyed Lie To Me . That one bit the dust also. Shame on you Fox.
We are so disappointed. Please don’t cancel! We really enjoy this show.There is way too many forensic type shows. This was classic and so much fun. We vote to keep it on.
Please put The Finder back on. Don’t leave me out here with only stupid reality shows, I will not watch those horrible things, I will turn off my television and read a book, I promise you! So if you want me to watch your advertising then please keep good shows like The Finder running! Thank You
I can’t believe The Finder got canceled…honestly the network really didn’t do their jobs to promote the show and the date changes. The finder is one of the best shows I had seen this year and a could not wait to see what crazy and intresting new problems or issues Walter and his friends would find themselves into in season 2. I’m still in shock that they are canceling such an awesome show. It’s a great show they should try a second season but this time the network needs better timing and better promoting. I truly hope they bring back… Read more »
I Dvr everything anymore I’m never home to watch anything live I record my shows through the week then watch em when I get home late at night and during the weekends.
What the crap!
Why not just cancel every show before it even airs, then people won’t be so disapointed.
(Sarcasm)
Give stuff a chance!
I think that TV has changed and it is unfair to base ratings off of what is watched live. I do not watch anything until I can see the whole season via iTunes or Netflix, because I don’t like waiting a whole week in between episodes. I imagine there is a sizable demographic of people who do likewise.
Bring the Finder back. He is the Finder after all. Make him find the other cast members. Continue with the show!!! It was a fun fun show! Like the other people hereI don’t like the reality shows!!
Fox puts any show it want’s to die on Friday nights. I was a HUGE fan of “The Finder”, and does anyone remember another great show “The Good guys” again Fox put it on Friday nights to watch it die. But Fox has a long track record of canceling great shows which is why I’m not surprised that after only one season “The Finder” is gone. I can only hope that the old hapless Fox executive that is responsible for cancelling all of these great shows DIES SOON !! BRING BACK THE FINDER !! There was no other show like… Read more »
I hope someone at Fox reads these comments. I LOVE Finder! I wish there had been more episodes this spring and was really looking forward to it coming back in the fall. I have never watched an episode of such stupid reality shows as “Survivor” or “Idol”. I think they are just a lazy way for networks to air something to charge advertiser outrageous fees. Please bring back REAL TV and get rid of so much of the cheap, fake so-called REALITY TV.
My kids and I loved The Finder. Sad to see it go, but we still have all our other fave shows like Castle, NCIS, Bones, Necessary Roughness, Covert Affairs, Suits, White Collar,
Glee, and so on.