Why Fox Canceled Alert: Missing Persons Unit

The landscape of network television is changing and changing rapidly. Streaming has been on the rise over the last decade, but it has truly accelerated in recent years, with more and more people favoring cutting the cord, as it were. Even networks like Fox and NBC, which one can watch without the need for cable, are suffering because people tend to just go to Netflix or even a free service like Pluto TV rather than bother with traditional channel surfing. That's what helped kill "Alert: Missing Persons Unit" on Fox after just three seasons.

A procedural drama centered on the Philadelphia Police Department's Missing Persons Unit, "Alert: Missing Persons Unit" explores a different missing persons case in every episode (with time always being of the essence). The show follows Jason Grant (Scott Caan), a Detective who works out in the field alongside Nicolina "Nikki" Batista (Dania Ramirez), a Captain and the commanding officer of their unit. Their job? Find the missing individual(s) and reunite them with their loved ones.

Co-created by John Eisendrath and Jamie Foxx (yes, as in the Oscar-winning actor of "Ray" fame), the series debuted on Fox in 2023 and seemed to perform well for the network. However, it was officially canceled after three seasons (each 10 episodes long) in June 2025, at which point Fox decided the juice was no longer worth the squeeze. But why, exactly, was this show given the ax? As is often the case, it all had to do with the return on investment, with "Alert: Missing Persons Unit" simply becoming a losing proposition with limited upside potential.

"We love the teams and those shows. I think there'll be more to come after they finish their current seasons," Michael Thorn, President of Fox Television Network, said to Deadline in May 2025. The other series in question were "The Cleaning Lady" and "The Great North." The former has since been canceled, while the latter has not been renewed. So much for "more to come."

Getting back to the why of it all, "Alert: Missing Persons Unit" had simply lost a great deal of its viewership. The premiere episode attracted more than 4 million viewers when it premiered in 2023. However, it tapered off quickly from there. According to The Hollywood Reporter, at the time of cancellation, the show was averaging just 2.16 million viewers, not accounting for streaming. The days of a network series earning 20 million viewers are certainly behind us, but even so, those numbers are low.

The other big issue is that "Alert" wasn't exactly a critical darling, to put it mildly. The show holds a rough 29% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an equally poor 33% audience rating. So, it's not as though its creatives could argue that this was some heralded masterpiece worth saving in the long run. The arrow was pointing down every which way, and shows only get more expensive to produce as they roll on, with cast members generally getting paid more down the line. When push comes to shove, Fox had little reason to believe investing in season 4 and beyond was a good idea.

In general, network TV has largely struggled to adapt to the streaming-focused future. Broadcast and cable TV viewership fell below 50% in 2023, and it hasn't recovered since then (nor will it ever). Again, streaming is the future. The fact that CBS was willing to cancel "The Late Show," despite Stephen Colbert drawing the highest ratings in late night, says a lot about the state of television right now.

In another era, "Alert: Missing Persons Unit" is the sort of show that may well have thrived. Police procedural dramas can do well. Just look at "S.W.A.T.," which was canceled three different times before finally ending for real. It's just that this one never caught on in a meaningful enough way to go the distance.

You can stream "Alert: Missing Persons Unit" on Hulu.