Subscribe
It’s the time of year where people are definitely buzzing about it. CBS made a bold move last year when they snapped Medium up for its Friday-night lineup the day after NBC canceled it after five seasons. Everybody’s eyes are on CBS and Medium now. If this is deemed to be a success, then there’s hope for more shows to be saved after cancellation. However, if Medium fails to get a seventh season, we may not be seeing too many saves like this again.
Jericho was famously saved by a fan campaign after CBS canceled it, but its second-season ratings didn’t do much better than the first, and it was canceled again at the end of that season. Passionate fans helped get Veronica Mars a third season on CW, but not enough viewers showed up in order to get it a fourth. Scrubs has done well after moving from NBC to ABC, but its change in format makes it unlikely that it will be renewed again. Now, Nina Tassler, President of CBS entertainment is weighing in on Medium’s possible fate. You guys are already talking about this in the comments. The question now is, “what does it mean?”
TV By the Numbers is looking at Tassler’s statements in a slightly negative way. While Tassler said that both Medium and Numb3rs are being considered for next year, they’re taking that to mean that there’s a chance Medium won’t be back, which is 100% true. However, out of the two, it seems like Numb3rs is more in danger of cancellation than Medium. While they say in the article that they may change Medium in their renew/cancel index to reflect the fact that it is in danger of being canceled, as of now, it’s still in the green.
Tassler went on to elaborate on her thoughts on Friday nights, telling Sci Fi Wire,
“We had season highs last night on Friday,” Tassler said. “I’m not complaining from last night’s numbers. We still program for Friday night. It’s clear we have two shows there with Ghost Whisperer and with Medium that have a good flow from one into the other, so we will continue to program there for Friday night. For us, we still see opportunities.”
As I’ve been saying all season, CBS has an easy win with its Friday-night lineup. When their shows are up against the network’s regularly scheduled programming, CBS mops the floor with them. Who doesn’t want a guaranteed win? However, it does look as though Numb3rs is still in danger. They shortened its order to put on a new show, Miami Medical. It seems as though Numb3rs fate depends on the success or failure of this show. If it tanks, then Numb3rs is good to go. However, if Miami Medical manages to pull down the same or better ratings than Numb3rs, then we may have a new Friday-night lineup on our hands. However, with Medium tying its series high last night, I’m still confident in its chances for a season 7.
Hat tip to Dawn for starting the discussion.
Image: Michael Yarish/CBS
235 days ago
I do hope Medium will come back for season 7. It has performed steadily well since it’s move to CBS. I hope the network see’s that and it’s loyal fans. I have hope it will be back, but you never know… Last year it was unofficially back on NBC and cancelled last minute, But I think CBS has a better thinking pattern!
Reply
235 days ago
They cancelled the Jay Leno show from 10 pm, He is going back on at 11:30 starting in February. Strange because that is what bumped Medium out by having him on at ten four nights a week. Hope CBS keeps Medium another season. It isn’t doing bad for a Friday.
Reply
235 days ago
I think CBS would be a bit daft to cancel it. And they probably sold the UK rights for more money this time around since it switched to cable.
I would like to see a season 7 but please no cliffhanger in the actual final episode!
I’m not sure about another medical drama, ER was my first true tv love though.
Reply
235 days ago
Here’s an idea – CBS, please put Medium in the cushy spot at 8 PM CST right after a brand new NCIS (original show) on Tuesday and see what kind of ratings they garner there. Send folks over to Friday night from there.
Reply
234 days ago
I really hope that they don’t cancel Medium….It’s one of the few shows that I think the actors/characters really work well together and they are such a brilliant cast!
Reply
234 days ago
Medium is such a great show, the show from last Friday was really good, don’t know it doesn’t have better ratings and we always have to worry about it being cancelled.
Reply
234 days ago
Does Tassler’s elaboration to SciFi Wire imply that it’s Numb3rs that is on the block? I think it does, but it’s all so cryptic. ITA with all of the comments … Medium is doing well ratings-wise on CBS and works well with Ghost Whisperer (despite GW being such a different type of show). Not only have oldschool fans like us followed it to CBS, it’s finding new fans.
Betty, nice idea–it couldn’t hurt to follow the heinously popular NCIS!
Reply
234 days ago
If CBS tries to rota the series again it might be a good idea to place it behind a show with a large lead in like NCIS, Criminal Minds, or Big Bang Theory for one offs just to get it more sampled by CBS viewers. The show has loyal fans who have stuck by it over the last six seasons, but it couldn’t hurt to give it more exposure behind a lead in besides Ghost Whisperer.
Reply
234 days ago
Kona, TVBytheNumbers has changed their renew/cancel index to indicate that Medium is in danger of cancellation by the end of the season. I still think they’re crazy, but they can only see the numbers, and they seem to think that they have some magic formula to decide which shows will survive and which ones get cancelled, and as of now, they are insistent that Medium is on the chopping block. I think they’re wrong, as every other blog that I’ve read has interpreted Tassler’s comments to mean that they are happy with Medium and Ghost Whisperer, and that even Numbers is likely to be renewed. But tvbtn has insisted for weeks that Numbers would be gone after this season, so they refuse to admit that they might be wrong. I hate negative Nellies.
I think (or at least I hope) that Medium will be back next season.
Reply
234 days ago
Well, the good news is that CBS ordered a full season of Medium and as of right now they have not cut back on the order. I think that is encouraging. To my knowledge, Medium has not been pre-empted from the network for something else as they often do with shows that are in trouble.
I think the biggest problem for Medium has been it’s lead-in Ghost Whisperer. Ghost Whisperer does not have the highly talented and respected cast that Medium enjoys. The show is showing its age, unlike Medium, and I think the writers over at GW screwed the show up so badly last year with the whole death of Jim and bring him back as someone else that they disgusted the fans of GW and they lost a lot of their audience due to that.
If Medium had been moved to NBC two years ago, I think it would have faired better. It is a Friday night, too. Looking at the ratings, I think they have remained as strong as they can be for a no longer great lead-in and a Friday night. After all, NBC and the critics just love to brag about The Office and 30 Rock, yet most weeks, they only average 3.5 to 4 million viewers – if that much. Over at ABC. some higher ups must really, really love Ugly Betty because it seems to me at its best it only got about 6 million viewers and more recently it’s been in the 3. something to the 4. something. Medium has been getting good numbers in the 8 and 9 million range on first run episodes this season. Ghost Whisperer has run out of steam I think – too bad Medium wasn’t moved 2 years ago when Ghost Whisperer was doing better. I’d LOVE to see Medium moved behind a first run of NCIS as I posted earlier to see how much audience they can hold onto. In the summer they put Medium in The Mentalist’s old spot a few times, but there was no promotion before hand and they were showing reruns then. I sure hope they give Medium another season and work on helping them find a sizeable audience on CBS.
Reply
233 days ago
Call me an optimist, but I think Medium will be renewed. With it’s consistency and well writing, CBS would be stupid not to re-new it.
They also have to remember it’s on a friday night, the night of the week which most people go out. so for it to pull in 7-8 million viewers is excellent. I don’t think everyone at CBS sat down and really talked about it, because if they did, they would realize what a valuable show it is.
I understand why some people would like to pair it with NCIS, but I think the pair with the other supernatural thriller, GW (which I don’t watch), is a good idea.
Reply
230 days ago
[...] can’t imagine why CBS’ Nina Tassler isn’t happy with the Friday night ratings; their lineup beats a lot of NBC shows that air throughout the week. In any case, all three shows, [...]
Reply