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Comedy Central took just six weeks to say last year that "Detroiters" had legs strong enough to carry the offbeat show into 2018. That news came before the last four episodes of season one, a we-have-a-hit signal that attracted more viewers.
From episode eight this year ("Hark Motors"), shown Aug. 2. (Comedy Central slides)
But now, with no new episodes left or commissioned, devotees of the wacky series feel as jittery as a rope-hugging passenger in the back of a seatless van.
Season two, which ended Thursday, drew an average of 268,000 real-time viewers for each of the 10 episodes about a pair of Detroit ad agency buddies who do and say anything on and off the job. That's down 27 percent from a weekly average of 366,000 during the debut run.
Viewership for last week's finale is measured at 239,000, 14 percent lower than for the closing episode of 2017.
"Detroiters" kept its 10:30 p.m. slot from year one and moved from Wednesday to Thursday. But a more significant change likely affects audience size.
The half-hour sitcom, shown in late winter and early spring during 2017 (Feb. 7 to April 11), returned in three less advantageous months: June 21 to Aug. 16 -- when vacations, family visits, outrdoor ballgames and other warm weather activities compete with TV for leisure time. And because Nielsen ratings don't measure delayed viewing via streaming or TiVo, those fans are uncounted.
Partisans tweet to support a series that may be endangered. A recent sampling:
@ComedyCentral please renew @Detroiters in perpetuity, please. I can’t get enough of it - it’s the show we deserve.
— Dave Kloc (@KmanWorldwide) August 18, 2018
#Detroiters is the funniest show on TV. @ComedyCentral would be silly if they didn't keep this show on TV. I can't get enough of it.
— Eric Ellenbrook (@_ellenbrook) August 18, 2018
season 3 or i’ll lose my mind #Detroiters
— kleo (@motelsintokyo) August 17, 2018
@Detroiters thank you for another great season full of laughs!!! This is the best show on tv hands down!
— Josh Hatmaker (@hat1926) August 17, 2018
There IS gonna be a next year, right? Right??
— Man_of_bats (@wateriswet313) August 10, 2018
And to help ease fans' withdrawal adjustment, here are seven of this season's instant classics:
From "Lois," the July 26 episode with local actor Sandra Love Aldridge (bottom) as the title character.
Pat Vern Harris, playing agency receptionist Sheila Portnadi, calls out the guys.
From an episode titled "Mort Crim," shown July 19.
Carl Anthony Payne appeared Aug. 9 as emcee of The D Awards, a real-life event hosted by the Adcraft Club of Detroit each fall.
Retired newscaster Mort Crim is a recurring guest star, playing himself.
From the July 19 episode named for him. The guys tried to recruit Crim as a client's spokesperson.
