2011-12 Ratings Review: The Finder

I must admit, that the cancellation of THE FINDER was the one new show of 2011-12 that I was sad to see go. It was a very well done show with a little bit of comedy and goofiness, mystery, crime solving and a great cast of characters. I don't understand why the fans of BONES didn't come out and support THE FINDER.

The finder actually started off slow. It only registered 5.5 million viewers and a below average 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. But unlike other series, it numbers did rise. Up a million viewers in week two and and additional two million in week three. Yes, American Idol did elevate the numbers, but its always a good sign when a series can climb in the ratings and not fall.

For the next four weeks, THE FINDER stayed in that 6.5 million viewer range and a 2.2 demo ratings average. Not great, but not horrible either. But, FOX needed something with a lot better retention out of the Thursday edition of AMERICAN IDOL, so it was of to the death night of Fridays for THE FINDER.

For a a show on at 8:00pm on Friday Nights, especially for FOX, THE FINDER performed about a good as it could. It usually did better than the 9:00pm series, FRINGE, on FOX. But when you average just 4 million viewers and a 1.1 demo rating in any time slot, you are not going to last long. So, after the 13th episode, FOX confirmed that THE FINDER would not be renewed for the 2012-13 season.

Looking back at the data, THE FINDER did about the same numbers, on Thursdays, as did the show that replaced it in that time slot, TOUCH. Yet, TOUCH is on the 2012 fall schedule. But, I can't blame FOX for cancelling THE FINDER. It should have done better in the post-AI slot.

Too bad THE FINDER was not developed for either USA or TNT. Its quirkiness and being a crime drama is just they type of series that does well on those to cable networks.