'Damages': Is it endangered?

“Damages” fans waiting for illumination about the murder mystery at the heart of the FX drama are hoping to garner some more clues when the show’s third-to-last episode airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

Even though network executives promise there will be a satisfying conclusion to the Patty Hewes-Arthur Frobisher showdown by the end of the season, they can’t say as much about the fate of the series.

Although the intricately plotted legal thriller starring Glenn Close and Ted Danson has gained a passionate following, it has not been as sizable as the cable network had hoped.  By the end of each week, episodes have averaged a cumulative viewership of 4.9 million people, including 2.4 million 18- to 49-year-olds. Live viewing, on which the network bases most of its ad sales, is substantially lower.

“The ratings are pretty middling,” said John Landgraf, president of FX Networks. “It’s nothing to write home about.”

Nevertheless, the network is considering picking up the show for another season, a prospect about which Landgraf said he was “reasonably optimistic, not wildly optimistic.”

“I couldn’t be happier with it creatively,” he said. “I think the show is a credit to our brand.”

A decision could come as soon as this week or as long as several months from now, once network executives have a chance to study the final viewership data, including DVR viewing.  One factor that could persuade FX to give the program a second shot: the hope that the drama will rack up some major awards, which in turn could trigger interest in a new season.  On the other side of the ledger is the worry that the show’s complicated plotting tests viewer commitment.

“The very thing that makes people so excited about it — the heavily layered serialization — makes it a challenge in the current environment,” Landgraf said.

The FX president pledged that those who have followed the show’s twists and turns will be satisfied by the Oct. 23 finale, which also hints at a possible second season story line.

Interestingly, the show’s writers scrapped their original plan for how to wrap up the season as the series progressed, even changing who will ultimately emerge as the killer (or is it killers?).

“You inevitably find that you have to make adjustments,” Landgraf said. “This is what really good show-runners do: they think through everything, then they leave their minds open to a better solution.”

-- Matea Gold

(Photo courtesy FX)

Comments

[d]

I watched it once. Maybe people are tired of lawyer shows ala th3 45 k for M Collins the movies. Perhaps a show about a judge would work so much better

db

[Brendagail]

I think that the next season should be about a new area of Damages.
Finish up with Glenn Close and Ted Danson and move on to a micro chip merger, art forgery, wine secrets, with two big names, 4 medium names and 8 unknowns. Let the story be about Damages no matter where they are found. There are so many more mysterious areas in business. Have some fun. Think out of the box.
This is one of the best shows this season. Bring it back next year stronger and more powerful.

[Marcia]

I would be sorry to see this show go down after just one season. The scripts, the twisting story line, the smart acting and directing have produced a high quality series that grabbed and held my attention from episode 1. It seems that nearly all of the other new continuing series are still giving tremendous time and energy to showing off the trappings of the very rich. We have been watching this kind of thing since the first days of "Dallas", and it is becoming tired and cliche-like. "Damages" has so much going for it; it would be a travesty to see such a smart show fold for lack of sparkle and glitter.

[Patty]

Ted Danson has done the best acting of his career in this series. The scene in the kitchen with the writer was devastating and nuanced.

I look forward to this series every week and I think they could build a good-sized audience if they do a couple of marathons where they play all the episodes one after another so people can get caught up in it.

I've never been a Glenn Close fan, but I have liked her in this show. But everyone is good. I'm just most impressed by Danson.

[Horace Andy]

I adore this show. While it's not pitch-perfect like, say, the Sopranos, it's better then any other drama on television.

I agree strongly with comment #2. This is a great case, but let's have it wrapped up and move into a difference case with Patty Hewes next season. Glenn Close is the best thing on the show and while Danson is also great, I'd love to see Close back on TV as Patty next year, battling a new case with new mysteries.

[Helen]

Damages is a well written and intelligent show. There should be room on TV for shows with strong female characters. I look forward to Damages every week. Even though its central theme is lawyer-focused, it is not redundant. Its fresh!