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.
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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’m sad as well – this was one of my favorites – very complex and thought provoking. Therein lies the problem – not fluff like Cougar Town (which I also love for different reasons).
Although I don’t “WATCH” it live as it broadcasts and Thursdays are awful for me schedule-wise, my DVR faithfully recorded and replayed every episode for me!
Good bye great show! You will join many others that have come and suffered the same fate….engaging entertainment unfit for the unwashed masses.
Boo! Shame on you NBC! You renew “Whitney” but not “Awake”?!? I seriously feel like giving up on you. The only show I enjoy is “Parks” if that gets another weird split season or half season I think I’m done.
Best drama on television. **** that ****.
NBC: Wake up- you just lost a big audience- as usual, leave the mindless dribble on and take away a program that actually makes you think along with the main character.
Another show that should be given a chance. Jason Isaacs does a great job as do the rest of the cast. Yes it is somewhat more complex than normal fluff on t.v. (thank god ) but not beyond a viewer rightly expecting a great storyline with lots of potential.
I am devastated. This was by far the best show on television and I was so looking forward to a second season.
The problem is that so many great shows were on Thursday nights at exactly the same time. Scandal on ABC a fabulous new show was tough competition but next season Scandal will be on Tuesdays so Awake wouldn’t have the competition.
NBC should consider a second season and ensure that there aren’t any competitive shows in that time slot.
This show is truly interesting and thought provoking and great writing ti well be greatly missed. other shows on abc well be moving to other nights give it another try
Awake is a great complex drama. Jason Isaacs and all the actors/actresses are amazing. Why don’t you try moving to different time slots to see if there is another time that works better for viewers? This show is worth trying to get a larger audience. This was the best show of the season in my opinion! I will be sorry to have it end. I hope
NBC will reconsider. PLEASE RENEW THIS SHOW.
what…the…eff. I haven’t heard a single bad word about this show. Everyone I speak to says they like it and is one of their favorite new shows. This is very disappointing.
I will miss this show. It really made me think. I was just like the detective trying to figure whether its a dream vs reality!
WOW I am breathless after this weeks episode (5/17/12). Unbelievable action, edge of seat suspense. WTF is NBC doing????? Oh yeah, pandering to the uneducated masses. So sad to see all the actors who worked so hard on the show get the pink slip. The writers/creator are also to be commended for developing such a different and addictive show. I hope the “finale” next week will give us some closure….are his wife and son still alive and being held somewhere???? PLEASE don’t leave us hanging. Too late, already filmed I know. I went through same crap with soap One Life… Read more »
LOVE this show. This is one of the only shows I watch consistently.. and for good reason. Love the story line – love the characters. Just a great show in general. …Really upset it’s being cancelled. Figures.
No no no no no, how dare you!! put it on iTunes then or something i need to see this show! it’s amazing! I love the whole plot and the show has a great pace!! how did lost get like 8 seasons (or i don’t know) and this great show getting canceled so quickly? Bring it to europe then, people here are smart enough! (just replying to the article people)
WTF? This is the only american show I actually enjoy and they have the nerve to cancel it? They are making a huge mistake.
This pisses me off beyond belief! Seriously one of the only good dramas on NBC besides SVU (and even that is getting lame.) Leave it to NBC to cancel a smart, exciting, and well-perfomed series. The same thing happened to Medium. Put it on when people can actually watch it!!! Then they wonder why they are getting outdone by CBS.
Hopefully TNT will pick it up. I hear they do that sort of thing from time to time.
So sad. So much junk on TV now. I admit I watch a little of everything and even have some guilty pleasures, but this and Harry’s Law are two that were masterfully crafted. I will miss this show… and seeing Jason Isaacs every week! It was good to see him in a role where he was not a nasty, blonde wigged jerk! Hopefully he will land somewhere where is appreciated for the talent he is.
Catch Jason Issacs in Masterpiece Mystery on PBS—a 3 movie series based on Kate Atkinson novels. Issacs plays PI Jackson Brodie in 3 of the books made into movies. “Case Histories” “One Good Turn” and “When Will There Be Good News”. The books are awesome and Issacs does superb job of playing PI Brodie.