When FOX premiered Lone Star last week, it was met with critical praise and general indifference from the audience. There was immediate talk of cancellation. Was last night's airing of episode two also the last we'll see of the show?

Nielsen ratings are delayed this morning but it's highly unlikely that Lone Star will drastically improve upon its dismal pilot rating, leaving its future very much in doubt.

All the same, last night's episode was a tense affair that highlighted what the show is really about: a father and son at odds. Bob, for all his double-life deceit, does want to live legitimately while his father John still can't really grasp the concept. The argument they have in the middle of the episode is the argument they would be having episode after episode, obviously not so blatantly, if the show continues to live past last night.

[There was a video here]

So what do we make of Lone Star should it in fact not return? Are we meant to think that viewers just weren't interested watching the story of a con-man leading two lives? Even though the world is entranced by Mad Men's Don Draper (clearly an inspiration for Lone Star), it's important to note that the truth of his life wasn't the hook of the show, it's the twist. Perhaps we simply aren't ready to sign on for a show about someone like this, even though Tony Soprano's worst self was always on full display in the Sopranos, but gangster shows are different, aren't they? It is definitely a tough time to have a show about a con-man relieving people of their savings, since we get enough of that on the news these days, but the show has absolutely no problem embracing the potential cost of what Bob is doing and that's kind of an interesting place for a show. Every time they add new stakes (as they did last night by introducing his wife's young daughter), the show gets richer and tenser, but also more disturbing for people who prefer lighter fare and that can't be good for the show's future.

Or maybe FOX's marketing scheme wasn't effective or people just don't care what critics think about television and they weren't going to watch regardless of the particulars of the plot. Either way, it's a shame.

UPDATE: The numbers are in and things don't look good for Lone Star. The show was unable to improve on last week's dismal numbers and will probably be canceled.