Final Witness
GenreDocumentary
Crime drama
DirectorAdam Feinstein
Rudy Bednar
Alrick Brown
Cruz Angeles
Mora Stephens
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Num seasons1
Num episodes7
Executive producerRudy Bednar
Christine Connor
ProducerLee Beckett
CinematographyAndreas Burgess
Paul Marschall
Khalid Mohtaseb
CompanyLincoln Square Productions
ChannelABC
First airedJune 27, 2012
Last airedAugust 8, 2012

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.TitleU.S. air dateRatingShareRating/share
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)
1"The Kids Aren't Alright"June 27, 20122.9[2]51.0/34.21[3]
2"Graveyard Love"July 4, 20122.0[4]40.5/24.88[5]
3"Fatal Devotion"July 11, 20122.9[6]51.1/34.29[7]
4"Vixen's Elixir"July 18, 20122.7[8]51.2/44.28[9]
5"The Devil You Know"July 25, 20122.7[10]51.0/33.97[11]
6"A Mother's Revenge"August 1, 20121.8[12]30.7/22.56[13]
7"What the Boy Saw"August 8, 20121.8[14]30.8/22.81[15]

Critical reception

The series received mixed reviews from critics. Jessica Shaw of Entertainment Weekly stated that "Crime reenactments are equal parts disturbing and cheesy – mediocre 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."[16] The New York Post's 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."[17] 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 twist – the voice of the deceased."[18] 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."[19]

References

  1. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 5, 2012). "ABC Announces 2012 Summer Schedule Including 'Rookie Blue,' 'Final Witness' 'Trust Us with Your Life' & 'Duets'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 7, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
  2. ^ Porter, Rick (June 28, 2012). "TV ratings: 'America's Got Talent' dips but still leads Wednesday, 'So You Think You Can Dance' also down". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved June 30, 2012.
  3. ^ Bibel, Sara (June 28, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'So You Think You Can Dance' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2012.
  4. ^ Harper, Jen (July 5, 2012). "TV ratings: Macy's 4th of July Fireworks lead a rerun-heavy Wednesday". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  5. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 6, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Macy's 4th of July Spectacular' Adjusted Up; 'Final Witness' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 10, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2012.
  6. ^ Porter, Rick (July 12, 2012). "TV ratings: 'So You Think You Can Dance' gives FOX a Wednesday win, 'AGT' results soft". Zap2it. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  7. ^ Bibel, Sara (July 12, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings:'America's Got Talent' and 'So You Think You Can Dance' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 16, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
  8. ^ Porter, Rick (July 19, 2012). "TV ratings: 'Big Brother' and 'America's Got Talent' the best of a slow Wednesday". Zap2it. Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  9. ^ Kondology, Amanda (July 19, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'America's Got Talent' and 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 21, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  10. ^ Harper, Jen (July 26, 2012). "TV ratings: 'Big Brother' holds steady and 'America's Got Talent' up for Wednesday". Zap2it. Archived from the original on July 28, 2012. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  11. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (July 26, 2012). "TV Ratings Wednesday: 'So You Think You Can Dance' Dips, 'Big Brother' Hits Season Low, & 'America's Got Talent' Rises". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on July 29, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  12. ^ Porter, Rick (August 2, 2012). "TV ratings: Olympics dominate Wednesday, running ahead of 2008". Zap2it. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  13. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (August 2, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings: 'Big Brother' Adjusted Up + Final Olympics Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  14. ^ Porter, Rick (August 9, 2012). "TV ratings: Olympics capture more ratings gold Wednesday". Zap2it. Archived from the original on August 11, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  15. ^ Bibel, Sara (August 9, 2012). "Wednesday Final Ratings:'Big Brother' Adjusted Up Plus Final Olympics Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
  16. ^ Shaw, Jessica (June 27, 2012). "Tonight's Best TV: Final Witness". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  17. ^ Stasi, Linda (June 26, 2012). "Dead ringer". New York Post. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  18. ^ Gay, Verne (June 26, 2012). "'Final Witness:' Grim march through a terrible crime". Newsday. Archived from the original on August 26, 2012. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  19. ^ Hinckley, David (June 27, 2012). "ABC's 'Final Witness' restages notorious murders, from the viewpoint of the deceased victims". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 1, 2012.