'Moonlight' In Serious Trouble With Network

Of course, the list of shows CBS released is not the final list of renewed programs, and the rest of the season, as well as what the network has in the pike in terms of pilot, will play into later renewals, so it doesn't mean "Moonlight" won't get renewed. But it's absence is forcing some hard questions to be asked on whether or not its ratings are enough.

Networks sometimes save the decision for some programs until after the seasons are over, or toward the end of seasons. For example, the network isn't expected to make a final decision on whether it will give "Jericho" a third season until March at the earliest, and "Moonlight" could be a show that is either on the bubble, or simply not announced yet.

"Moonlight" premiered on CBS with an overnight rating of a 5.8/11 share, which wasn't tremendously strong in terms of genre shows -- in fact, only "Jericho," "Smallville" and "Supernatural" had lower rated premieres this season -- but unlike some of its counterparts, "Moonlight" was able to hold on to its audience. While "Bionic Woman" and "Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles" have lost more than half their respective premiere audiences (with "Sarah Connor" getting a reprieve because its premiere was a bit over-inflated), "Moonlight" has in fact held on to its core audience.

The show's lowest rating came in its third week, which was just a little more than one ratings point below its premiere, and its most recent episode aired more than a month ago was off its premiere by just half a ratings point, or just 10 percent. By comparison, "Heroes" had a two ratings point different between its highest overnight and lowest overnight rating, and its final episode so far this season was nearly 19 percent below its high.

"Moonlight" has suffered some problems in the production side with showrunner David Greenwalt departing early. Also, the show -- which bridged "Ghost Whisperer" and "Numbers" on Friday nights -- was the evening's lowest-rated show for the network, although it did fare well against competition from other networks in its timeslot.

Sources say that no official decision on the fate of "Moonlight" has been made just yet, so no need to get too much into panic mode. There's a chance fans will learn the fate of "Jericho" before they learn what happens to "Moonlight," so it will just be a matter of patience.

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