While many people have no desire to watch a TV series with a title like Stalker, the CBS show won its time period in viewers and key demographics last night. Despite the good ratings, that doesn’t mean that the show will stick around for very long. Curiosity in the show is probably the biggest factor for the show’s ratings success and the fact that it aired after the popular and similar Criminal Minds helped as well. Now that people have seen it, will they come back next week? This viewer won’t. It has less to do with the show’s subject matter and more to do with the dynamics of the show.

Stalker is a psychological thriller about detectives who investigate stalking incidents. It stars angry actor Dylan McDermott as Detective Jack Larsen, transferred to L.A. to work with Lt. Beth Davis (Maggie Q) who quickly realize that neither likes each other. The biggest problem with the show is that the audience won’t like them either. Beth is not a warm person and Jack tries too hard to make a good impression. Both of them know their stuff as one is a former victim of stalking and the other wrestles with their own stalking desires. Both are not afraid to work outside of the law to get what they want, making the two morally ambiguous. I could be wrong, but I think most people like their “good guys” to be good through and through. In the pilot episode it becomes clear that those who wear the white hats also wear the black hats from time to time. But some people seem to like that sort of thing given the ratings for both Dexter and Hannibal which also feature antiheroes.

Another problem with the show is that within its 60 minute timeslot, which comes to about 40+ minutes in total length, the show not only focuses on one stalking, but two others as well. Those will no doubt continue throughout the season. While the main story is way over-the-top and unbelievable, other shows like CSI have told similar outlandish tales with better flair. Finally, the really should have been more scary than it was.

If you missed last night’s show, CBS is giving you another chance to watch it this Friday at 10:00 p.m. Stalker airs weekly on Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. on CBS.