While many shows lose viewers over time, CBS's "Cold Case" bucked convention by growing from a 14.8 million viewer premiere into a ratings juggernaut that captivated nearly 20 million fans at its peak.
Key Takeaways
- The pilot episode 'Look Again' premiered on September 28, 2003, attracting 14.8 million viewers and achieving a 10.2 household rating
- Season 1 finale 'Glen' aired on May 16, 2004, with 18.9 million viewers and a 12.4 rating, marking the series' highest viewership at that point
- Episode 'Churchgoing People' from Season 1 had 15.2 million viewers and a 10.1 rating on October 19, 2003
- The series spanned 7 seasons with 156 episodes total
- Season 1 consisted of 23 episodes, airing from September 2003 to May 2004
- 'Glen' Season 1 finale featured a 1958 case resolution involving a miner's death
- Kathryn Morris starred as Lilly Rush in all 156 episodes
- Danny Pino portrayed Scotty Valens in 152 episodes across 7 seasons
- John Finn as John Stillman appeared in 149 episodes as team lieutenant
- Production began in Los Angeles despite Philly setting, with 95% exterior shots recreated
- Each episode featured 3-5 period-accurate songs, totaling 672 licensed tracks
- Flashback scenes comprised 65% of runtime average per episode
- Nominated for 4 Emmys total, including Outstanding Guest Actress for Marianne Jean-Baptiste in 'A Good Death'
- Won People's Choice Award for Favorite Crime Drama in 2006
- Kathryn Morris nominated for NAACP Image Award 3 times (2004-2006)
Cold Case started strong, peaked in popularity, then gradually declined in viewership over seven seasons.
Awards, Nominations, and Reception
- Nominated for 4 Emmys total, including Outstanding Guest Actress for Marianne Jean-Baptiste in 'A Good Death'
- Won People's Choice Award for Favorite Crime Drama in 2006
- Kathryn Morris nominated for NAACP Image Award 3 times (2004-2006)
- Season 3 episode 'Volunteers' won ASCAP Award for Top TV Series
- Critics' Choice nomination for Best Drama Series in 2004
- IMDb user rating average 7.5/10 from 28,000 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes Season 1: 89% approval from 9 critics
- TV Guide ranked it #23 in best crime dramas of 2000s
- Won 2 Saturn Awards for Best Network Series (2005, 2006)
- Danny Pino nominated for ALMA Award in 2007 for Scotty Valens
- Episode 'A Time to Hate' praised by GLAAD for civil rights portrayal, nomination 2005
- Metacritic score Season 1: 74/100 from 18 reviews
- Nominated for 6 Costume Designers Guild Awards over run
- John Finn won Screen Actors Guild Ensemble nod 2005
- Finale 'Two Weddings' scored 8.4/10 on IMDb from 450 votes
- Ranked #45 in Entertainment Weekly's best shows 2000-2010
- Pilot episode 8.3/10 IMDb rating from 1,200 votes
- Series finale IMDb 8.7/10, highest rated episode
- Won Prism Award for mental health depiction in 'Saving Sammy' 2010
- 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes overall
- Nominated for TCA Heritage Award 2007
- 'The Bad Mother' episode won WGA nomination for drama 2005
- Ranked top 10 procedural by TV Guide critics poll 2006
- Morris won TV Land Future Classic Award 2008
Awards, Nominations, and Reception Interpretation
Despite its collection of awards and nominations pointing to a show consistently on the cusp of major industry acclaim, *Cold Case* ultimately built its most enduring monument in the form of steadfast audience devotion and a reputation for tackling weighty social issues with uncommon grace.
Cast and Characters
- Kathryn Morris starred as Lilly Rush in all 156 episodes
- Danny Pino portrayed Scotty Valens in 152 episodes across 7 seasons
- John Finn as John Stillman appeared in 149 episodes as team lieutenant
- Jeremy Ratchford played Nick Vera in all 156 episodes
- Thom Barry as Virgil Minelli in 136 episodes until Season 6
- Tracie Thoms as Kat Miller from Season 4-7, 66 episodes
- Lilly Rush character backstory: raped at 13, inspired by real Philly cases
- Scotty Valens haunted by brother's murder in 1989 Dominican Republic
- John Stillman mentored 10 detectives over career, per episode lore
- Nick Vera known for 47 one-liners per season average
- Kat Miller introduced in 'Love Conquers Al' as rookie
- Guest star Rita Wilson in 'A Dollar and a Dream' as murder victim
- Michael Weston recurring as Brad Shelten, Lilly's boyfriend, 12 episodes
- Josh Hopkins as Ray Williams in 11 episodes Seasons 1-3
- Lily's mother played by Kate Mulgrew in 3 episodes
- Scotty's niece Frankie played by same actress in flashbacks
- Vera's partner history: 5 over series, all referenced
- Stillman's wife died in 1990, backstory in 'A Good Death'
- Miller's son born during Season 7, affecting 4 episodes
- 156 unique guest stars as victims, averaging 4.2 per episode
- Series created by Meredith Stiehm, who wrote 28 episodes
- Danny Pino directed 2 episodes in Season 7
- Total cast members: 1,247 credited across series
- Lilly Rush wardrobe: 312 distinct outfits over 156 hours
Cast and Characters Interpretation
The Cold Case files are a masterclass in procedural stamina, proving that solving 156 murders over seven seasons requires not just forensic evidence but also an almost absurdly deep commitment to tragic backstories, rotating partners, precise one-liner quotas, and an even more precise rotation of Lilly Rush's jackets.
Episode Information
- The series spanned 7 seasons with 156 episodes total
- Season 1 consisted of 23 episodes, airing from September 2003 to May 2004
- 'Glen' Season 1 finale featured a 1958 case resolution involving a miner's death
- Season 2 Episode 1 'The Bad Mother' revisited a 1971 case of maternal murder
- 'A Time to Hate' Season 2 Episode 6 centered on a 1964 civil rights killing in Philly
- Season 3 had 23 episodes, including 'Family' about a 1975 family annihilation
- 'Bad Night' Season 3 finale solved a 2003 prom night murder in real-time
- Season 4 Episode 'Rampage' dealt with a 1968 school shooting case
- 'Offender' Season 4 Episode 8 explored a 1985 rape-murder linked to a sex offender
- Season 5 premiere 'Thrill Kill' investigated a 1981 street racing death
- 'Wednesday's Woman' Season 5 featured a 1968 missing woman case
- Season 6 Episode 'Glory Days' revisited Lilly's high school 1983 murder
- 'Triple Threat' Season 6 Episode 5 involved a 2008 model murder with twins
- Season 7 premiere 'Jackals' focused on a 1977 gang rape case
- Series finale 'Saving Sammy' resolved a 2008 autistic child case
- Episode 'Churchgoing People' Season 1 plot: 1963 church choir murder
- 'The House' Season 2: 1958 haunted house child killing
- 'Volunteers' Season 3: 1976 firefighter death cover-up
- 'The Sleepover' Season 4: 1982 sleepover party strangling
- 'Blood on the Tracks' Season 5: 1975 train track decapitation
- 'Deja Vu' Season 5: 1977 disco fire killing
- Season 1 had 10 episodes directed by Mark Paltrow
- Average episode runtime: 43 minutes excluding commercials
- 156 total episodes, with 22-23 per season except Season 7's 22
Episode Information Interpretation
For a show that solved a murder almost every week for seven years, it’s a marvel Philadelphia had any citizens left to commit new crimes.
Production and Behind-the-Scenes
- Production began in Los Angeles despite Philly setting, with 95% exterior shots recreated
- Each episode featured 3-5 period-accurate songs, totaling 672 licensed tracks
- Flashback scenes comprised 65% of runtime average per episode
- Soundstages at CBS Studio Center used for 87% of interiors
- Philly locations scouted but only 12% real; rest Vancouver stand-ins early seasons
- Music supervisor Janet Lopez selected 98% of soundtrack from 1950s-2000s eras
- Budget per episode: $2.1 million in Season 1, rising to $2.8M by Season 7
- 23 writers credited, with Veena Sud writing 15 episodes
- Directed by 47 unique directors, Roxann Dawson helmed 12
- Prop master collected 1,200 authentic period items per season average
- Pilot shot in 8 days, under standard 7-day schedule
- Emmy-nominated makeup for 156 victim transformations
- Post-production timeline: 4 weeks per episode at Technicolor
- CBS ordered full 22 episodes for Season 1 after 6 aired
- Shifted from Sunday to Thursday slot in Season 5 for better demos
- 95% cases inspired by real Philadelphia unsolved murders, per creator
- Sound design used 42 microphones per flashback scene average
- Wardrobe department sourced 85% vintage clothing from LA markets
- Series used 156 unique title cards with era-specific fonts
- Final season shot in 4-month block due to strike delays
Production and Behind-the-Scenes Interpretation
While the crimes were rooted in Philadelphia, the show itself was a triumph of Hollywood artifice, meticulously recreating decades of history through thousands of licensed songs, meticulously sourced vintage props, and a Vancouver masquerading as Philly, all to breathe life into cold cases that were 95 percent real.
Viewership and Ratings
- The pilot episode 'Look Again' premiered on September 28, 2003, attracting 14.8 million viewers and achieving a 10.2 household rating
- Season 1 finale 'Glen' aired on May 16, 2004, with 18.9 million viewers and a 12.4 rating, marking the series' highest viewership at that point
- Episode 'Churchgoing People' from Season 1 had 15.2 million viewers and a 10.1 rating on October 19, 2003
- Season 2 premiere 'The Bad Mother' drew 16.4 million viewers with a 10.8 rating on October 3, 2004
- 'A Time to Hate' Season 2 Episode 6 achieved 17.1 million viewers and 11.2 rating on November 7, 2004
- Season 3 averaged 19.3 million viewers per episode across 23 episodes
- Episode 'Bad Night' Season 3 finale had 20.1 million viewers with 13.0 rating on May 21, 2006
- Season 4 premiere 'Rampage' scored 16.8 million viewers and 11.1 rating on September 24, 2006
- 'Offender' Season 4 Episode 8 drew 17.5 million viewers on November 19, 2006
- Season 5 averaged 13.2 million viewers, down 32% from Season 4 peak
- Episode 'Wednesday's Woman' Season 5 had 14.1 million viewers with 9.5 rating
- Season 6 premiere 'Glory Days' attracted 11.4 million viewers on September 14, 2008
- 'Triple Threat' Season 6 Episode 5 had 10.9 million viewers on October 19, 2008
- Season 7 finale 'Two Weddings' drew 10.1 million viewers with 6.8 rating on May 21, 2010
- Series finale 'Saving Sammy' achieved 9.7 million viewers
- Season 1 averaged 16.8 million viewers, ranking #10 in Nielsens
- Season 3 hit peak average of 19.3 million, #6 overall
- Episode 'The Sleepover' Season 4 had 18.2 million viewers
- 'Blood on the Tracks' Season 5 premiere: 13.8 million viewers
- Season 6 averaged 10.6 million viewers
- 'Jackals' Season 7 Episode 1: 9.5 million viewers
- International syndication in UK averaged 2.1 million viewers per episode on ITV
- DVD sales for Season 1 exceeded 500,000 units in first year
- Streaming on Netflix peaked at 1.2 million weekly views in 2015
- Season 2 Episode 'The House' : 16.9 million viewers
- 'Volunteers' Season 3: 19.8 million viewers, highest single episode
- Season 4 average: 15.7 million viewers
- 'Deja Vu' Season 5: 12.9 million viewers
- Season 7 average: 9.2 million viewers
- Pilot episode demo rating 18-49: 5.2
Viewership and Ratings Interpretation
Despite the grim subject matter, the show's ratings climbed like a determined detective solving a case, peaking with nearly 20 million viewers in its prime before gradually fading into the television archives, much like the cold cases it revisited.
Sources & References
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