Though the viewership wasn’t dismal, the key demo numbers were, and the network cancelled the drama following its first season’s run.
CBS just recently tried breaking the mold in the midseason with the new drama Ransom, which was something of an experiment to see how many eyeballs could be brought in.
While Sunday nights now regularly offer up appointment TV across the dial, Saturdays are still largely uncrackable in delivering ratings for episodic series, as it’s a night when most people choose films for entertainment.
CBS appears determined to at least keep up appearances across the weekend, though, and if the higher-profile-at-one-point Doubt does as well or better than Ransom, we might just see more experiments like this in the future.