When Christian Slater’s TV series, My Own Worst Enemy, was cancelled last year it seemed a bit unlikely that the actor would return to the medium any time soon. Some film stars have made the journey to television in the past and, when the shows failed, they haven’t been too quick to return. But Slater hopped right back into the fray and has a new show for ABC, the forgotten. So, will this one stick around longer than the last one?
the forgotten revolves around a group of dedicated civilians that form The Forgotten Network. Led by Alex Donovan (Slater), the team donates its time to identify unrecognizable murder victims, trying to “give back the name of the deceased.” The show also stars Michelle Borth, Heather Stephens, Bob Stephenson, Anthony Carrigan, and Rochelle Aytes.
With a title that just invites snarky headlines, forgotten was skewered by many critics before the show even debuted. By and large, most viewers weren’t all that impressed either.
The series debuted on September 22nd to a decent 9.53 million viewers and a 2.6/7 rating/share among adults 18-49. While those numbers seem pretty good, upon closer examination, they aren’t all that positive.
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the forgotten’s lead-in, the very popular Dancing with the Stars, scored 16.28 million and a 3.9/10 in its last half hour. The first half hour of forgotten attracted only 10.14 million and a 2.7/7. That means that the Slater drama lost over 40% of its total lead-in audience and 33% in the demographic. What’s more, 12% of people who started watching forgotten turned it off half way through the premiere. That’s a sure sign that those people wouldn’t be back the next week.
And they didn’t return. In week two, the forgotten’s numbers dropped by more than 1.8 million viewers to 7.72 million. In the all-important demographic, the show’s ratings dropped from a 2.6/7 to a 2.0/5, a loss of 23%.
As of last night, things seem to have evened off a bit. For week three, forgotten attracted 7.81 million viewers and a 2.0/6. Though it’s positive that the ratings didn’t drop for a second time, these numbers are not healthy. forgotten ranked in a distant second place for total viewers (beating the under-performing Jay Leno Show) and third place for the demo (almost tying Leno).
Unless these numbers turn around, the forgotten’s days on the schedule are certainly numbered. ABC ordered 13 episodes to start and could pull the show or prematurely cut production. But, even if all 13 are finished and aired, it’s highly unlikely that ABC will order any more.
What do you think? Is this show worth watching or is it best left forgotten (sorry, too hard to resist)? Would you cancel it or keep it?
Christian Slater’s one of my most favorite Actors! Too bad things aren’t going better for The Forgotten. I think Slater brought the Fans in but too many shows of this sort out there already for the viewers. I’d rather see The Slates in a sitcom when it comes to T.V (he could totally pull off a comedic role, he’s such a sweet thing) and hopefully we’ll see him on the Big Screen again soon, being the Bad-Ass He is!
PLEASE HELP KEEP THIS SHOW ON THE AIR! THIS IS MY FAVORITE SHOW EVER! I AM IN LOVE WITH IT!!!!!!!!
please don’t cancel the show. it’s great
I like this show. Please dont cancel it
This show is great! i’ve been watching it since the beginning. One of the issues is, ABC is not promoting the show at all. You dont see any commercials, ads or anything for the show. How can they win a broader audience, if nobody knows about them? It’s definitely a great crime show and hopefully ABC will give it a chance.
I don’t understand why more people don’t mention the fact of Christian Slater himself being the show! Hes one of my all time top five favorite actors, under rated and under appreciated.I have been watching his movies from day one.From Gleaming the Cube,Untamed Heart,Kuffs,Pump Up the Volume and much much more.I always loved his acting and how he carries himself. He has an air about him that is great to watch. I felt sorry for him when he had his last show cancelled. I understand that ratings are ratings and its a business. But in my opinion too many good… Read more »
I have watched this show from the start I saw a promo for the premiere and thought it was an interesting concept. I must say I love this show, I plan my evening around it to make sure I don’t miss it. I personally don’t think that networks give these new shows enough time to find their sea legs so to speak, this is why I only watch a hand full of shows. I get so sick and tired of getting invested in a show one week only to have it canceled by the next week. It’s so frustrating, prime… Read more »
I think the show has a great frame work, but things need to change with the directing, music and casting…. First off the Walter Bailey character needs to go as does the character Linsay Drake…. or both a new writer and a new director needs to be brought on board to tighten these two up. Both of them are being played as if they are doing a infomercial instead of a drama. The intro music is fine, but the rest of the musical score needs a serious over haul. I hope that someone at the network level takes this series… Read more »
this is a good show .they really should give this one a chance …….
It is rare for me to watch an evening TV show. I think The Forgotten is wonderful. I like being a detective along with the characters. I applauded it on FB.
I love this show. The stories are good and very entertaining. I look forward to watching it every week.
The show needs time for word of mouth from those that watch to bring in those that might not of given it a chance at first. That’s one way the numbers can increase, talk about the show with friends and support it on our social networking sites like FB or My Space or your favorite forum’s Off Topic or TV section if the y have one!
I know we enjoy it and hope it lasts!!!
I really love the show. It follows what happens in a persons life that leads to what has happened to them. It reminds me of my favorite show that was just canceled Without a Trace. We need more people out there finding what has happend to these missing and forgotten individuals I hope they do not cancel it.
I rather enjoy this show, and I especially find the content exciting and unique. It really would be a shame if they were to cancel it, just as ABC has canceled so many other wonderful shows, only to find afterwards, that they had a winner on their hands. It really would be a terrible idea to get rid of this show, which, I think, opens the individuals mind as to what is out there in the “real” world and that this sort of thing happens every day. It is not often that a show could affect people and make one… Read more »
I love the show, I hope they do not cancel it. They need to give it more time before they cancel. Everytime I get involved in a new show, they cancel it. All networks do this. I loved the show In Justice that used to be on Friday nights, did not last very long either. They leave the crappy shows on and take the good ones off. Thats why I watch HGTV most of the time, nothing worth watching on major networks, when you do get one they cancel it. I loved October Road, Everwood, Summerland, same thing happened to… Read more »