• Variety, Thursday, July 5, 2007 10:30 AM

"Without a Trace" is having trouble finding viewers on TNT, stoking worries at cable nets about their cop show reruns. More than a year ago, TNT expressed concern about a slump for "Law & Order," which could be seen as often as 14 times a week on the network, and Steve Koonin, head of Turner Entertainment Networks, was looking for "Without a Trace" for some salvation.

When running once a week in late nights from December 2004 to May 2006, the show averaged 2.2 million viewers -- but half of them were over 50. And when it began running every weeknight in June last year, it fell to 1.73 million viewers, 60% of them older than 50. It even underperformed "Law & Order," the previous occupant of the time period. One problem was that its 7 p.m. timeslot was crowded with police fare on rival channels, including Spike, USA and A&E.

To replace "Without a Trace," TNT can start multiple runs of "Cold Case" this fall, but its once-a-week ratings have already slipped by one-third in the December 2006 to June of 2007 period, with similar declines in demos. These trends are among the reasons cable networks are becoming more reluctant to pay a premium for other off-network series, like "Criminal Minds," "Bones" and "Boston Legal."

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