Final Witness Explained
Genre: | Documentary Crime drama |
Director: | Adam Feinstein Rudy Bednar Alrick Brown Cruz Angeles Mora Stephens |
Country: | United States |
Language: | English |
Num Seasons: | 1 |
Num Episodes: | 7 |
Executive Producer: | Rudy Bednar Christine Connor |
Producer: | Lee Beckett |
Cinematography: | Andreas Burgess Paul Marschall Khalid Mohtaseb |
Company: | Lincoln Square Productions |
Channel: | ABC |
Final Witness is an American crime drama television series that premiered on June 27, 2012, on ABC.
The seven-part series, which combines documentary and drama elements, focuses on a different real-life murder each week from the victim's point of view. Each episode includes interviews with the victim's family and friends, real witnesses, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers, as well as scripted scenes with actors.[1]
U.S. Nielsen ratings
The following is a table for the United States ratings, based on average total estimated viewers per episode, of Final Witness on ABC.
No. | Title | U.S. air date | Rating | Share | Rating/share (18–49) | Viewers (millions) |
---|
1 | "The Kids Aren't Alright" | June 27, 2012 | 2.9[2] | 5 | 1.0/3 | 4.21 |
2 | "Graveyard Love" | July 4, 2012 | 2.0[3] | 4 | 0.5/2 | 4.88 |
3 | "Fatal Devotion" | July 11, 2012 | 2.9[4] | 5 | 1.1/3 | 4.29 |
4 | "Vixen's Elixir" | July 18, 2012 | 2.7[5] | 5 | 1.2/4 | 4.28 |
5 | "The Devil You Know" | July 25, 2012 | 2.7[6] | 5 | 1.0/3 | 3.97 |
6 | "A Mother's Revenge" | August 1, 2012 | 1.8[7] | 3 | 0.7/2 | 2.56 |
7 | "What the Boy Saw" | August 8, 2012 | 1.8[8] | 3 | 0.8/2 | 2.81 | |
Critical reception
The series received mixed reviews from critics. Jessica Shaw of Entertainment Weekly stated that "Crime reenactments are equal parts disturbing and cheesymediocre actors portraying cold-blooded killers and their victims. This new ripped-from-the-headlines series amps up the cheese even further by mixing Desperate Housewives-style narration with actual non-reenacted interviews."[9] The New York Posts Linda Stasi called the series "a good true-crime show. A very good true-crime show. But that voice-from-beyond narrator is just so very wrong."[10] Verne Gay of Newsday also commented on the narration by writing that the series is "a grim, macabre march through a terrible crime, deploying a bad twistthe voice of the deceased."[11] The New York Daily News David Hinckley thought the series was "crisply and professionally produced. But the best face it can put on terrible murder cases is philosophical, and that may not be enough to keep viewers from the somber takeaway that someone they like has ended up dead."[12]
Notes and References
- Web site: ABC Announces 2012 Summer Schedule Including 'Rookie Blue,' 'Final Witness' 'Trust Us with Your Life' & 'Duets' . https://web.archive.org/web/20120407102327/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/04/05/abc-announces-2012-summer-schedule-including-rookie-blue-final-witness-trust-us-with-your-life-duets/127796/ . dead . April 7, 2012 . Seidman. Robert. . April 5, 2012. May 1, 2012.
- Web site: TV ratings: 'America's Got Talent' dips but still leads Wednesday, 'So You Think You Can Dance' also down. Porter. Rick. June 28, 2012. Zap2it. June 30, 2012.
- Web site: TV ratings: Macy's 4th of July Fireworks lead a rerun-heavy Wednesday. Zap2it. Harper. Jen. July 5, 2012 . July 6, 2012.
- Web site: TV ratings: 'So You Think You Can Dance' gives FOX a Wednesday win, 'AGT' results soft. Zap2it. Porter. Rick. July 12, 2012 . July 26, 2012.
- Web site: TV ratings: 'Big Brother' and 'America's Got Talent' the best of a slow Wednesday. Zap2it. Porter. Rick. July 19, 2012. July 26, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120719162937/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-big-brother-and-americas-got-talent-the-best-of-a-slow-wednesday.html. July 19, 2012. dead.
- Web site: TV ratings: 'Big Brother' holds steady and 'America's Got Talent' up for Wednesday. Zap2it. Harper. Jen. July 26, 2012. July 27, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120728022652/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/07/tv-ratings-big-brother-holds-steady-and-americas-got-talent-up-for-wednesday.html. July 28, 2012. dead.
- Web site: TV ratings: Olympics dominate Wednesday, running ahead of 2008. Zap2it. Porter. Rick. August 2, 2012. August 2, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120804035452/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/tv-ratings-olympics-dominate-wednesday-running-ahead-of-2008.html. August 4, 2012. dead.
- Web site: TV ratings: Olympics capture more ratings gold Wednesday. Zap2it. Porter. Rick. August 9, 2012. August 10, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120811013238/http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/08/tv-ratings-olympics-capture-more-ratings-gold-wednesday.html. August 11, 2012. dead.
- Tonight's Best TV: Final Witness. Shaw. Jessica. June 27, 2012. Entertainment Weekly. July 1, 2012.
- Web site: Dead ringer. Stasi. Linda. June 26, 2012. New York Post. July 1, 2012.
- Web site: 'Final Witness:' Grim march through a terrible crime. Gay. Verne. June 26, 2012. Newsday. July 1, 2012.
- Web site: ABC's 'Final Witness' restages notorious murders, from the viewpoint of the deceased victims. Hinckley. David. June 27, 2012. New York Daily News. July 1, 2012.