It's sad that such a critically lauded television show can face death for something as silly as ratings. Such is the way of the world, though, and FX's Damages is no exception. The third season of the network's mystery has been receiving abysmal ratings. The show has been averaging under a million viewers per episode (yikes!) and in the key 18-49 demographic it's only managed a .2. Yeah, that is as bad as you think it is. That's why FX decided to pull the plug on their critically acclaimed series and not renew it for a fourth season. And who can blame them, right?
Of course, we could actually see a fourth season of Damages, but not on FX. In a recent trend of cancelled shows getting saved by other networks, satellite provider DirecTV is considering picking up the series, and co-producing with Sony. This is very similar to what happened to the football drama Friday Night Lights last year. Sure, it was a great show, but ratings couldn't keep it up, so DirecTV swooped in and saved it.
Will this happen again? It doesn't seem likely. Despite the critical weight of Damages, it still is much worse off than Friday Night Lights ever was. At its lowest, the FNL took in 3.46 million viewers and a 1.1 share in the 18-49 demo. That's still much better off than Damages is, and it's probably why Damages wouldn't prove very profitable to DirecTV. Because, despite the critics, one universal truth remains: without even one million viewers, what does it matter? A good show that no one's watching is still a good show, but you've gotta be realistic.
What do you think? Should DirecTV take the plunge and rescue the damaged Damages? Or should they allow the dying series to finish out its third season's run and be finished?
I LOVE damages. Rose Byrne and Glenn Close are amazing to watch. One of the only shows I watch and such great casting, can't believe FX is pulling the plug.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Damages… it is a brilliant show… they just need to advertised it more.
I love this show! So sad that it willn't be around for season 4! I think you meant to say "fourth season" near the end of your first paragraph and not third season. You might want to correct that. Thanks for the news, but I'm so upset. Why do the shows I love keep getting cancelled? At least FX gave it 3 seasons though-not too bad. I watched Justified, but I'm not sure what to think of it. I don't like it as much as Damages, but some parts were okay. I think Rescue Me needs to go-I used to love that show but it jumped the shark a long time ago. Here's to hoping that DirectTV might save Damages. That would be great!
I am very disappointed. I love Damages, Glenn Close and all the supporting cast are amazing, they are doing such a quality job there. What is even more disappointing is that the show has low ratings because it may be too sophisticated for a wider audience. Quality and the masses rarely go toghether, I guess, and it's very disturbing to hear that – comparatively – so few people watch Damages. There should be a way to keep up the quality work, I sincerely hope DirecTV will save the show.
third season is tired. the back and forth has become gimmicky and doesn't reveal anything anymore. It's become annoying, not even suspenseful. There are some good moments, but let's face it, this was an awesome one season project that got an ok second season and a sloppy, flaccid third one. Let it rest.
What is the source for this story? Is this just speculation? Why are no media outlets reporting on this? <a href="http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=s&rlz=1B3GGGL_enCA310CA311&tbs=nws%253A1%252Cqdr%253Aw&q=fx+damages+cancelled&meta=&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=" rel="nofollow"> <a href="http://;http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=…” target=”_blank”>;http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&tbo=…
Michael Ausiello of Entertainment Weekly reported on this.
He did and he did not. The Deep End, Numb3rs, Mercy, Sons of Tucson—all of those shows are as good as cancelled, but like Damages, cancelled they are not. We are talking semantics here, but it seems that you jumped the gun a little bit.
FX never promoted "Damages". How is the average viewer even supposed to know about the show? Only hard core fans of "Damages" who make an effort to research when the new season will be broadcast watch the show. Shame on FX to cancel one of the most intelligent, well acted shows on TV. Does FX think everyone wants to watch morons losing weight and corrupt politicians dancing with starlets?
I read a report on SpoilerTV that said it was cancelled, then I read Ausiello's report that it might be saved. Tried to find a happy medium there.
I was confused by that sentence about third season too, but I think the key is that it says "renewed" for a third season. The first season wouldn't have been 'renewed'. So season four would actually have been the third "renewed" season.
"Damages" is the most clever, well written and well acted show on TV! I don't know what type of households Nielsen is getting their ratings from but they certainly don't put enough boxes in homes who like intelligent television. "Damages" is definitely worth saving and as others have stated, FX should have done a better job promoting Season 3. If Martin Short had not been cast this season (doing a fabulous job as Atty. Leonard Winstone) and made some talk show appearances at the start of the season to say he was going to be on "Damages", I would not have known when the new season was starting… and I'm a huge fan of the series!
Are you crazy? Cancel Damages? The best intelligent well written show ever? I look forward to watching and by moving to Monday, maybe you ought to consider moving to another night if ratings are the real reason. Last year was on Wed. I can't believe this superb show is cancelled. Please reconsider another night..please I bet you!!!
The comment by 'depressed' is absolutely correct about the DAMAGES to the show's ratings that the move to Monday nights caused. Mondays at 10pm, I was already watching "Castle", "Hoarders" and 'Men of a Certain Age" (which TNT did a fabulous job promoting the hell out of). So with the competition in that Monday time slot, only a "Damages" devotee like myself would have known that Season 3 was premiering with the little promotion FX gave it. And FX certainly DOES know how to promo a show non-stop as it has been doing with "Justified" (which I do love) and as it's always done with "Rescue Me". By the way, another thing FX did to the "Damages" producers was take Timothy Olyphant away from them by giving him his own series! I really enjoyed his character, Wes Krulik in Season 2 and was looking forward to him being featured in Season 3 (as the previews hinted). I'm very happy Tim got his own show but Wes was a character they could have brought back in addition to Arthur Frobisher; unfortunately for "Damages", FX made him unavailable for the whole season.
this is my favorite show..I can't stand when I FINALLY get into a show and this happens.
This is hard to believe! Seems so rare to find REALLY GOOD writing! Damages is one of the few thought-provoking shows on; seems a huge failure on the part of FX not to promote more, and moving the night around is always fatal to a show, as with Ugly Betty. Damages unanswered questions keep you coming back. I was only disappointed that last season's conclusion was never dealt with: Patty bleeding in the elevator. Now she's just fine?
One of the all time best shows ever… if it gets picked up, it will be discovered in syndication and make serious bucks. HBO where are you?
Damages is my favorite shows on television. This is devastating news for my self and my son. I was just saying how brilliant Glenn is as Patty Hewes last night! I cannot believe one of the best shows on television is pulling such low ratings. I think it is FX's fault for having Damages on a Monday night and I feel FX did little to promote the show! SHAME on you FX!!! I pray another network picks up the show.
Damages is by far my favorite show and I have been following it since the beginning. This is a loss and all I can say is that I hope someone else picks it up or FX reconsiders their decision. I was so looking forward to next season…this news really depresses me.
If DirecTV rescues Damages for another season, I'll cancel Dish and go back to DirecTV! I lot of people just didn't know about Damages. I told a few friends about it and they love it. The Season Finale was absolutely brilliant!
FX is promoting the new season of Rescue me NOW. They promoted Justified for two months before it started. They did a lousy job of promoting this season. The actors and the story line are fantastic! This show is too good for this Network. HBO/Showtime needs to pick it up!
FX did a horrible job of promoting this show. They kept changiing the times. The sucked at supporting this show..Proper marketing would propel this show to a four to five million watcher level. Check what I said. FX did not do what they should have to make Damages a success considering the quality of the show's writing and Cast.
SOMEBODY, PLEASE SAVE DAMAGES!! This is by far one of the best dramas on TV. These writers are incredible. Maybe being on a different network would make a difference.
Generally speaking, I don't watch TV. However, I make time to watch Damages. If FX decides to cancel the show, I will be very disappointed.
I was so upset when I heard they cancelled Damages. It was one of the best shows on TV. These networks don't give intelligent viewers anything worth watching! Someone should rescue it. If not Direct TV then HBO or Showtime!
Maybe FX should have thought of another time slot! They moved it to Monday when that night is already overloaded!!!
For Effing Sakes – David Caruso gets to continue spouting insipid dialogue as he takes his Ray Bans on and off for yet another year, but we end up losing one of the best written/acted shows of the last couple decades. Too bad that HBO or Showtime couldn't pick it up – the series would have been a better fit for those networks in the first place, considering it doesn't have stand alone episodes… It needs a network where people will tune in to track the intricate story on a weekly basis. I still think they could take Patty to the big screen, though – the character and caliber of writing would make a great film!