Poor ratings help kill Fox's 'Alcatraz'

By ROB OWEN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

May 14, 2012 at 2:26PM
Sarah Jones and David Hoflin starred in the season finale of "Alcatraz," which turned out to be the ending of the series, too.
Sarah Jones and David Hoflin starred in the season finale of “Alcatraz,” which turned out to be the ending of the series, too. (Mct - Mct/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Q I've watched the finale of "Alcatraz," in which producers promised to give us "answers" to all of our questions, but they didn't. They just left us hanging. Is it coming back for a second season, and if not, did it do really poorly in the ratings?

A "Alcatraz" started with OK ratings, but then viewer interest seemed to wane and the ratings fell. Fox doesn't officially announce its fall schedule until Monday, but it was reported last week that the show was canceled.

'Cash Cab' has taken final ride

Q I've not been able to find "Cash Cab" on the Discovery Channel for quite some time. Has it been canceled?

A Yes. Five remaining episodes will air sometime this month, and that will be the end of the show.

'Top Gear' is still running

Q Why did BBC America not show any new episodes of "Top Gear" this year? All it has on are repeats.

A New episodes began last month. They're airing at 7:30 p.m. Mondays.

Don't expect much for 'Gifted Man'

Q "A Gifted Man" was one of the few TV shows that I followed recently. What is its status?

A CBS will announce the fate of "A Gifted Man" and other series on Wednesday. At that point, we'll know if it will be renewed or canceled. My guess is that it won't be back due to low ratings.

'What Not' to air in a few weeks

Q Is "What Not to Wear" no longer on? I haven't seen any new episodes for a while.

A New episodes return to TLC on May 29 at 8 p.m.

Big plans for 'Little People'

Q Is TLC planning any more specials for "Little People, Big World"?

A Yes, TLC announced plans for more specials last month, but no air dates.

"2012 is a big year for the Roloff family ... ," the network said. "Molly will be graduating from high school and going away to college, Zach will finally be moving off the farm and into his own place, Jacob turns 16 and learns how to drive and Amy will turn 50, which Matt plans to mark with a surprise trip retracing their romantic steps on a nostalgic re-creation of their honeymoon in San Francisco and along the California coast."

No DVDs yet for 'Suspect,' 'Firm'

Q Is there any chance that NBC will put "Prime Suspect" and "The Firm" on DVD?

A No DVD releases have been announced for either show, but I suspect they will happen. TVShowsonDVD.com is a useful source for updates.

Send TV questions to owenr@shns.com.

about the writer

about the writer

ROB OWEN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette