It’s the nightmare NBC’s Awake fans were dreading. NBC has cancelled the show after 13 episodes and one season.
Created by Kyle Killen (Lone Star), Awake revolves around a police detective (Jason Isaacs) who, after being in a horrific car accident, finds that he’s living in two realities. In one, his son perished — in the other, his wife did. The cast also includes Laura Allen, Steve Harris, Dylan Minnette, B. D. Wong, Michaela McManus, Wilmer Valderrama, and Cherry Jones.
The complex drama had an unimpressive debut back on March 1st, registering a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 6.24 million viewers. NBC had released the pilot episode well in advance so some believed that hurt the premiere ratings.
 Loading ... |
Theoretically the second episode should have shown signs of growth but it didn’t. Week two dropped 20%. Week three remained stable but subsequent weeks saw additional declines. Last week’s episode hit a new low with a dismal 0.7 rating and just 2.15 million viewers.
This season has averaged a 1.1 rating in the demographic with 3.5 million total viewers. Awake is the third-lowest rated drama on the network, beating only Harry’s Law and The Firm (both of which have been cancelled as well). On our NBC Ratings Report Card, which measures the relative demo performance of shows on the network, Awake has a “D+” grade.
NBC has now cancelled Awake and the series finale is on track to air Thursday, May 24th. While it wasn’t intended as a series finale, Killen has said that he believes the finale is very satisfying.
What do you think? Are you sorry to hear that Awake has been cancelled and won’t be back for a second season? Was the series too complicated for most TV viewers or did it have other problems?
Image courtesy NBC.
I get so sick of this! If I watch the first season of a show and get attached it get’s cancelled. If I stay away from a show for the first few season’s (in fear of getting attached and having it taken away) I will start watching it and be lost due to waiting, then when I get caught up it get’s cancelled. I give up! All I need now is for FOX to take Alcatraz from me also. I loved this show and enjoy watching it, you really have to pay attention. It’s not some mind numbing reality show… Read more »
ALCATRAZ WAS CANCELLED TOO!!! I AM SELLING MY TV!!!
Very disappointing, but not surprising. Every single one of the network shows we’ve enjoyed over the last few years…..Awake, Studio 60, The Nine, Joan of Arcadia……all died quickly. It’s unpleasant but true…..smartly written shows requiring the viewer to think and engage do poorly. If it didn’t happen so often I’d be upset, but since this is what the networks want……….I’ll stick with cable.
what is going on at nbc? who cancels a well executed show and leaves idiotic shows like the ones previously mentioned. america WAKE UP!
I am very sad this show is being cancelled. Excellent writing!!! This show beats Touch. Please find a way to bring it back. All of the good shows get cancelled. This is the best show since The Event which was the best since LOST. I love THINK TV – can’t watch a sitcom, no matter how funny Betty White is – and please don’t torture me with reality shows. Plus even CNN night time is dead with Piers Morgan. There is a huge market for this genre. If this show debuted in September, it would have grabbed a larger audience.… Read more »
My husband and I both LOVED this show. We cannot believe that an Intelligent Series like Awake would be cancelled. Is it that it makes you THINK too hard. People are spoon fed everything these days. Awake, and White Collar are our two favorites. NBC, we are certainly disappointed to say the least.
This show is really heating up towards the end. I have always enjoyed it but I could see why it wasn’t getting much viewership. However, lately the past few episodes have been AMAZING. If only they all could have been this great then they wouldn’t cancel the show.
I see my comments are being taken down. So much for free speech.
WTF » That’s not what “awaiting moderation” means. We read them to ensure they aren’t spam or abusive comments.
i agree with wtf. altough i kinda like that the finale wasnt intended as a finale. this gives me hopes that the show could be picked up later on. i say we all go buy season 1 of awake when it comes out, that way maybe they continue it. i think the ratings were low for this show only because of the dvr. now there is no need to watch the episode at the intended time, so everyone jsut waits for it to be over so they can watch it without the commercials. this is the kind of show that… Read more »
@last comment
btw, not all americans, just the idiots, you know who you are.
How can this show be cancelled, when there are stupid shows like Two and a Half Men, that idiotic cartoon with the little talking baby (dont even remember the name, i think is family guy), and that yellow family of morons (simpsons).
This is the first TV show that I actually wait for every week to watch, I dont even wait for the DVD to come out, and it gets cancelled, no wonder this country is dying, its full of idiotic morons, yeah im talking about americans.
A smart and original show with great acting and tremendous possibilities so
of course, it was cancelled while reality Tv and the Kardashians will go on for ever.
This is the same thing they did with the Black Donnellys. Great show, fantastic writing yet it gets cancelled. If anything should get cancelled it’s that joke of a comedian, Leno.
Nooo! Keep Awake! One of the few shows that well written, castes, and acted! Bad NBC, bad.
Leave it to NBC to finally have a show that can compete with AMC in both acting and writing and they cancel it. On the bright side, I can now officially cancel my cable and with the money I save take a trip to hawaii once a year!
Just a great Thursday night drama. It’s one of the shows I looked forward to every week. Am I dreaming right now? I need to wake up from this nightmare.