Low ratings the death of ‘Joan’

Even God is vulnerable to low television ratings.

CBS’ decision to cancel “Joan of Arcadia” after two seasons has baffled and angered its fans. Many are peppering the network and anyone else who will listen with e-mails trying to find some way to keep the show alive.

It’s a long shot, at best. The series where God appeared to Amber Tamblyn’s title character in the guise of average people won critical praise and an Emmy nomination, but couldn’t reach beyond a dwindling cult of supporters.

Fans said they appreciated a drama that talked about spirituality without being preachy, that included God but didn’t take religious sides. Several parents wrote that it was one of the few shows on television they felt comfortable watching with their children.

“I liked that it gave my daughter and I ethical things to talk about without having to bring them up, things like premarital sex and spirituality,” said Dawn Richards, 44, who watched regularly with her 14-year-old daughter at home in Boca Raton, Fla.

“It was one of the toughest programming decisions we have had to make in the last couple of years because qualitatively, everyone here loved the show and was proud of the show,” said Chris Ender, CBS entertainment spokesman.

But they couldn’t ignore its ratings decline, he said.

During its first season, “Joan of Arcadia” averaged 10.1 million viewers, respectable numbers for Friday, a quiet night for television. This year, viewership sank to 8 million, according to Nielsen Media Research.

That was lower than “Father of the Pride,” “Dr. Vegas” and “Hawaii” – all series that went to their graveyards long ago.

But the most important number may be this one: 53.9. That’s the median age of the “Joan” viewer, nearly three years older than the typical CBS viewer.

There was a time CBS was more accepting of its older audience. Not now. It narrowly missed being the most popular network among 18- to 49-year-old viewers this year, an achievement once unthinkable, and its executives hunger for that victory. Four of its five programs with the oldest-skewing audience, including “Joan,” were canceled.

CBS is replacing “Joan” with “Ghost Whisperer,” featuring Jennifer Love Hewitt as a young wife who communicates with the dead.

“Up until the very last minute I just felt that there was no way that we’d be canceled,” said “Joan” creator Barbara Hall. “The response to our season finale had been really big. I really didn’t understand how much demographics played into this, more so than ratings.”

The ratings slump baffled both Hall and CBS, who struggled to turn it around. CBS wanted more scenes with God, so Hall complied. Partly at the network’s request, she introduced the evil character Ryan. The third season would have seen see Joan and this devilish character face off.

“She was going to be engaged in all these metaphysical battles,” Hall said. “She would get to know God on a whole new level.”

Hall said she wished CBS had promoted the series more. Ender said the network tried, hiring a firm to promote “Joan” in churches. It sent people into cities to do good deeds – buying a cold person coffee, for instance – and hand them a card saying the random act of kindness was “brought to you by ‘Joan of Arcadia.’ “

There’s still a slim hope that producer Sony Pictures Entertainment can sell “Joan of Arcadia” to another network, and it is trying. But with the actors’ contracts expiring June 15, the window of opportunity is tiny.

Tamblyn, who said on “The View” Thursday that she was “very shocked” by the cancellation, sounds like she already is moving on.

“I am so grateful to CBS and Barbara Hall for the opportunity to have played this character for two seasons,” she says. “I will miss everyone but I am looking forward to the next adventure.”