The network of network television changes and changes quickly. Streaming has increased in the past decade, but it has really accelerated in recent years, with more and more people promoting the cord cut, so to speak. Even networks like Fox and NBC, which can be seen without needing cable, suffer because people tend to go to Netflix or even a free service like Pluto TV rather than worrying about the traditional channel surfing. This is what helped kill “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” on Fox after only three seasons.
A procedural drama centered on the unit of disappeared people from the Philadelphia police department, “the unit alerts: disappear people” explore a case of different people in each episode (time being always of petrol). The show follows Jason Grant (Scott Caan), a detective who works in the field alongside Nicolina “Nikki” Batista (Dania Ramirez), a captain and the commander of their unit. Their work? Find the missing individuals and gathered with their loved ones.
Corrated by John Eisendrath and Jamie Foxx (yes, as in the Oscar-winning actor in “Ray” renown), the series made its debut on Fox in 2023 and seemed to perform well for the network. However, it was officially canceled after three seasons (each of 10 episodes of long) in June 2025, when Fox decided that the juice was no longer worth the pressure. But why, exactly, was this show given the ax? As is often the case, all of this had to do with the return on investment, with “the alert unit: disappeared people” simply becoming a losing proposal with a limited increase in potential.
“We love teams and these programs. I think there will be more to come after having finished their current seasons,” said Michael Thorn, president of Fox Television Network, on the deadline in May 2025. The other series in question were “The Cleaning Lady” and “The Great North”. The first has since been canceled, while the second has not been renewed. So much to “more to come”.
Alert: the unit of missing people had lost a lot of his audience
Return to the question of everything, “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” had simply lost a lot of his audience. The first episode attracted more than 4 million viewers when it was created in 2023. However, it quickly fell from there. According to the Hollywood Reporter, at the time of cancellation, the show made only 2.16 million viewers, not representing streaming. The days of a series of networks earning 20 million viewers are certainly behind us, but even these figures are low.
The other big problem is that “alert” was not exactly a critical darling, to do it slightly. The issue has a critical approval rating of 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, with an audience note of 33% just as poor. So, it is not as if his creatives could say that it is an announced masterpiece that deserves to be saved in the long term. The arrow pointed in all directions and shows that more and more expensive to produce as they roll, the distribution members are generally paid more on the line. When Push arrives in Shove, Fox had little reason to believe that investment in season 4 and beyond was a good idea.
In general, Network TV has had a hard time adapting to the future focused on streaming. The broadcast and the cable television audience fell below 50% in 2023, and it has not recovered since (or never). Again, streaming is the future. The fact that CBS was ready to cancel “The Late Show”, despite the fact that Stephen Colbert established the highest notes at the end of the evening, said a lot about the state of television right now.
At another time, “Alert: Missing Persons Unit” is the kind of show that may well have prospered. Police procedural dramas can do well. Just look at “Swat”, which was canceled three times before finally ending for real. It’s just that he never took significant enough to go away.
You can broadcast “alert: Missing Persons Unit” on Hulu.
