ABC continues to try to replace some of their aging hour-long TV series. Once Upon a Time will be renewed but how about The River? Cancelled after one short season?
The River revolves around the search for beloved TV host and explorer Doctor Emmet Cole (Bruce Greenwood) some six months after he and his team went missing down the Amazon. His wife, son, their crew and a documentary team go after them on a rescue mission. As you might expect, they find more than they expected and the trip is fraught with danger. The cast includes Joe Anderson, Leslie Hope, Eloise Mumford, Paul Blackthorne, Thomas Kretschmann, Daniel Zacapa, Shaun Parkes, and Paulina Gaitan.
The paranormal/horror series got a double-episode launch on Tuesday, February 7th. The first hour averaged a 2.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 8.35 million total viewers. The second hour drew a 2.3 demo rating with 6.83 million. Those demo numbers were better than what Body of Proof’s been getting but were still disappointing.
Looking at the half-hour breakdowns, you can see that the ratings steadily declined as the two hours progressed. Between the first half hour and the last, The River lost 15% in the demo and 26% in total viewership. That certainly wasn’t a good indication that those people would return for week two.
 Loading ... |
And, they didn’t. For the third episode, The River’s demo fell a whopping 26% with a 1.7 rating with 4.96 million. Several shows also saw declines that night but The River was easily the biggest loser of the evening.
After just three installments, The River averages a 2.0 in the coveted demo and 5.9 million viewers. It ranks 12th on the list of ABC scripted shows for this season, just above already-cancelled sitcom Man Up!. The River also receives a “D+” on the ABC network report card. Unless the next episode attracts at least a 2.0 rating, the season average and grade will drop even further.
Based on this early performance, it looks certain that The River will be cancelled after one season. The network only ordered eight episodes so there are only five produced installments remaining. The last is expected to air on March 20th. Given that this is an ongoing mystery series, it seems highly unlikely that the story will be wrapped up by the finale.
But, what do you think? Have you been enjoying The River? Do you think it deserves to be cancelled or get a renewal for season two? Cancel or keep it?
Image courtesy ABC.
I enjoy the show. But lets face it…putting it up opposite ‘American Idol’ was a bonehead move.
Keep the river. Cole s wife can go. Her character is poorly written. Love the creepy tension.
Keeeeeep it new favorite of mine much more interesting than all the other cookie cutter crime or hospital dramas out there if canceled I will not watch anything except sports and modern family on abc that’s a threat and promise.(im sure abc execs are scared now)
Please keep the river! I love it and look forward to it….
It’s a very interesting show with a lot of potential to be the new “Lost”. I know a lot of people are not super high on it, and I think some retooling is needed (more story arcs and less “ghost of the week” would be an improvement), but there’s really nothing like it on TV right now and it’s got decent production values. I would like to see ABC give it more time to find itself and its audience. But this being TV, I guess that’s wishful thinking.
KEEP The River. But, have Bruce Greenwood in more scenes. He’s the star and we want to see him – alive!
Please keep it!!!!! I love this show!!! Its so good and scary!! If yall are gonna cancel u better come up with a lot of answers by the finale!!
Keep the River. I have enjoyed it every time. I don’t think the night is the right for it! Friday, Sat or Sunday would be better. I can’t seem to find a good show on Friday or Sat. Please KEEP IT,
PLEASE KEEP IT…… Looked at it this long so I would like to see all of it . Maybe put it on saturday or sunday. I think it is good.
keep The River… it’s different than anything else on television. Keeps you intrigued… will definitely continue to watch.
I think the show is great and they need to let it run the full 8 episodes. I also think they should change the time slot. i think it would do better on a Sunday even. love the show! please keep it ABC!
It seems that ABC has taken notice of the horror genre marketplace in the mainstream television space by the success of shows like The Walking Dead and, to a lesser degree, American Horror Story and has decided to jump on the bandwagon with The River.
While this is smart marketing, The River is no Walking Dead. The River is exceptionally uninteresting and should be cancelled to make room for something better.
I gave up on this non-scary stinker. Put it out of its misery.
First off, part of me truly enjoys the show, but another part of me is not sure how much of the “crazy Amazon curse of the week” I can take. I guess I just haven’t figured out if this is the type of show I can stick with for the long run.
Its a complete disaster…and it will be cancelled.