2011-12 Ratings Review: MISSING

Just before MISSING Premiered in mid-March, it looked like another throw away series that was just to be used as filler for the Thursday, 8:00pm time slot. A slot that ABC historically find ratings success. MISS turned out to be a lively actions series with a strong woman character in the lead. Could this be what turns things around at 8:00pm for ABC? The premiere number leads you to think so.

Premiering on March 15, 2012, MISSING featured Ashley Judd as a former government agent that has her son kidnapped. The series is her trek of finding and recovering her son alive.

The ratings for the first episode were promising. 10.6 million viewers and a 2.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Solid numbers, but the demo ratings was not as strong as it could be. In week two, The total viewer drop was the standard 17%, but the demo ratings dropped nearly 24%.  Each subsequent week, the numbers dropped a little more.

MISSING hit the bottom at just the wrong time. The Thursday before ABC has its upfront presentation, it drew just 6.37 million viewers and 1.1 rating in the all important demo ratings. MISSING did not make it to the 2012-13 season after 10 action filled episodes.

MISSING was just in the wrong time slot and, perhaps, the wrong network. 8:00pm on Thursdays is dominated by THE BIG BANG THEORY and AMERICAN IDOL, and for the young girl demo, The CW. Had MISSING been on Tuesdays at 10pm, it would have had a better chance and if it was on CBS, it could have seen a second season.