Court will soon be adjourned for ABC’s new legal drama. The Whole Truth has been cancelled.
Airing on Wednesday nights, The Whole Truth stars TV veterans Rob Morrow and Maura Tierney. He plays a powerful defense attorney who was raised on the wrong side of the tracks. Tierney is on the opposite side as a Senior Trial Assistant District Attorney whose father was a sheriff. Viewers are shown how each side builds their case, using their own version of “the truth.” The rest of the cast includes Eamonn Walker, Sean Wing, Anthony Ruivivar, and Christine Adams.
For whatever reason, most viewers haven’t been willing to even give the series a try. The legal drama got off to a very poor start right out of the gate. Whole Truth debuted on September 22th to a poor 1. 5 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 4.85 million viewers. The news got even worse in week two and the rating dropped by 20%. The last two episodes seem to have evened off, registering a 1.3 rating and about 4.4 million total viewers.
The Whole Truth’s been ABC’s lowest rated show, attracting an even lower rating than My Generation; another freshman drama that was pulled after just two episodes. Likely because of the caliber of the show’s cast and because it’s being co-produced by Jerry Bruckheimer’s company, ABC has been more patient with it. That doesn’t mean however that they’re going to order any more episodes. ABC has now cancelled The Whole Truth.
Via Twitter, co-executive producer KristieAnne Reed confirmed that the cast and crew will complete the initial 13 episode order but that will be the end. At this point, it’s unclear how many of those will actually air.
Whole Truth remains on the schedule this week but will be preempted next week for the In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: All Access Nashville interview special. On November 10th, ABC airs the Country Music Awards. Whole Truth is tentatively scheduled to return after that but those plans could certainly change.
Though Whole Truth has been cancelled, there is some positive news for fans of the show. With the news of the cancellation coming this far in advance, producers have time to give the series some closure. The cast and crew are still shooting and are scheduled to continue until mid-December.
What do you think? Should The Whole Truth have been cancelled? Why do you think it didn’t catch on?
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It is very disheartening to hear that The Whole Truth will be cancelled. It is one of the best criminal/mystery shows on tv. as far as I am concerned. We never know for sure if the person charged is really innocent or guilty until the very end of the show, and this makes it very entertaining. I think that the problem with the poor ratings is that it is up against some solid shows that historically have always had high ratings. Personally, I get around that problem by taping The Whole Truth on my DVR and watching it the next… Read more »
I love this show!! I cannot believe that it is being cancelled. What the heck???? Come on ABC this show is very good. Both Maura Tierney and Rob are wonderful in their parts. I am so disappointed in ABC.
Save this show! I watched the first episode and all during it I thought it was just another mundane courtroom drama. But when I saw the ending and realized that every episode would leave us wanting to know the truth, I was hooked. Great writing. Intriguing. Rob Morrow and Maura Tieney are charming, and the supporting cast are all interesting personalities, too.
This show was pretty good — it certainly had actors with chops and the format was quite interesting. Not the greatest thing since sliced bread, but quite watchable. However, I don’t think ABC backed it from the very start, considering the time slot, and I’m not surprised to hear it’s been cancelled.
And yeah — I too miss Flash Forward.
Too bad. This was one of my favorite new shows of the season. I haven’t been this bummed out by a series cancellation since they pulled the plug on Jericho. I really liked the fact that it presented a case from both sides AND it also actually showed you what really happened so you know who “got it right”. But, like a few others on this board, I always watched it via the DVR, never on the night that it was actually airing. I think the show might have survived if it had been in a less competitive time slot.… Read more »
Why cancel such a great show?
This show is horrible. There is not one likeable character on this show. I agree with Brenda – I miss Flash Forward.
Love The Whole Truth! The actors are just hitting their stride as a team. ABC should think about giving this show a bit longer for viewers to catch on.
Why would you cancel such a great show. I taped it each week and never failed to
watch it. It was a relief from all the CSI shows and the like. Please return it to the air soon for at least original 13 episodes. It’s such a shame that the junk gets watched and the good shows don’t.
I am VERY sad to hear the show has been cancelled. I was hooked from the first episode. I could listen to Rob Morrow’s voice 24/7!
I think it is an awesome show..love love everything about it. It’s very different. Wish more people would give it a chance! Will someone else besides ABC pick it up?? PLEASE! Regardless, I hope to see more of Rob Morrow!
Please, reconsider. My son and I watch this show every week. We love it. I have never liked Law & Order and I don’t like The Defenders. Belushi is a sorry actor, always has been. I think The Whole Truth was different from all the other law shows. If you have to do something, change nights, but don’t cancel it. Canceling it won’t get me watching the other shows. They just suck.
For myself, I am tired of police and crime drama shows. I miss a good medical show or Sci-Fi. I wish Flash Forward hadn’t been cancelled. I tried to watch the event, but it is dull.
I so totally agree with you Brenda.
I have enjoyed the show very much. I’ve been a fan of Rob Morrow since “Northern Exposure” and a fan of Maura Tierney’s since “ER.” I found the format of the show more interesting than that of other law shows which I watch. I like the idea of seeing how both sides play off of eachother and that, in the end, we find out whether the verdict was correct. Negatively…I think that the wardrobe of Rob Morrow’s character was a bit much to the dopey side and that it would help if he’d speak just a bit more slowly. It… Read more »
For Micheal! Your post is actually quite offensive to me, and I would guess, to others as well! Get off of your soap box! If you don’t like the “excuses” or the comments of the majority of people who write on this site – then you should just not read this site!!!! There is absolutely no reason to belittle or degrade people for what their opinions are – in fact – the site specifically asks – “what do you think?”!! So, please, stop reading the site if that’s what you feel you need to do, but if you continue, please… Read more »
my wife and I both watched the show weekly. The biggest problem though? We never watch it on the night its originally on. Reason being? It goes up against the Defenders, and even the new Law and Order. Not saying this is why the show itself is not lasting, but look at the ratings for the shows it goes up against. Defenders has been getting constantly better where Whole Truth was not being given the chance to grow. It was the distant third program when it came to the thoughts of everyone. (if they didnt have something on cable to… Read more »