Editing Cold Case (section)

===Cancellation===
''Cold Case'' began in September 2003 and quickly became a staple of the CBS Sunday night schedule. The crime drama had a successful first season and, by season two, was averaging a 3.5 rating in the 18–49 demographic and 15.1 million viewers. For the next couple seasons, total viewership fell slightly but the demographic numbers rose, reaching a 3.8 rating in season four.

In season five, the show averaged a 2.9 rating and just under 11 million viewers and ranked 28th. In season six, the ratings sank lower, to an average of a 2.7 rating but climbed up to 12 million viewers and ranked 20th. CBS made a choice between renewing ''[[Without a Trace]]'' and ''Cold Case''. They chose to keep ''Cold Case''. The real ratings trouble began in the final season, when the show's ratings dropped even further to a 2.15 rating in the 18–49 demographic and 9.6 million viewers. One reason for this is that the show aired at 10:00&nbsp;pm; the ratings dropped 25% to 9 million viewers.<ref name="tvseriesfinale.com">{{cite web |author=<!--Staff--> |date=22 May 2010 |title=Cold Case: CBS TV Show's Cancelled, No Season Eight |url=http://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/cold-case-canceled-season-eight-15540/ |publisher=TV Series Finale |access-date=19 June 2012 }}</ref> On November 22, 2009, CBS made a final attempt to increase the ratings by scheduling ''Cold Case'' at 9:00&nbsp;pm. The ratings increased to 10 million viewers, but it was short-lived because on February 14, 2010, ''Cold Case'' returned to its original schedule, at 10:00&nbsp;pm and the ratings dropped. The show concluded its run in May 2010 ranking at #29. More than two weeks after the series finale aired, CBS announced the show would not be renewed for an eighth season.<ref name="tvseriesfinale.com"/>

On May 18, 2010, CBS announced the cancellation of the series after seven seasons and 156 episodes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/cbs-cancels-shows-including-ghost-53669 |title=CBS cancels seven shows, including "Ghost", "Case" |last=Hibberd |first=James |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=May 18, 2010}}</ref>

Since it had become customary to end each season with a [[cliffhanger]], season 7's final episode, "[[List of Cold Case episodes|Shattered]]", ended leaving viewers wondering about the fates of several characters. The cancellation of the show left those questions unresolved.

In April 2024, a revival of the series was under discussion, but in September 2024 ''Deadline'' reported that a deal for the proposed series could not be reached between Warner Brothers Television and CBS.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2024-09-18 |title=Zarna Garg Multi-Cam Comedy From Darlene Hunt, Mindy Kaling & Kevin Hart In Works At CBS |url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/zarna-garg-cbs-darlene-hunt-mindy-kaling-amp-kevin-hart-1236092437/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2024-04-12 |title='Cold Case' Reboot From Creator Meredith Stiehm Eyed By CBS |url=https://deadline.com/2024/04/cold-case-reboot-cbs-meredith-stiehm-1235882730/ |access-date=2024-12-06 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}</ref>