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.
Why doe NBC keep making trouble for fans when cancelling very good dramatic and compelling shows, like Awake. The last time I got upset with the NBC network was when they took-out Conan and cancelled his show, keeping Leno on the air. I hate this stupid game of cancelling shows. I would like to boycott NBC for being so stupid and ridculous for taking out such a good show like Awake. Sometimes executive from NBC need to foster some of these smart shows and take a chance with it. Because of cancelling Awake, I’m boycotting NBC. Thank You
NBC is still looking for the next Friends,they have no clue.To say this show is innovative is an understatement, great writing and acting. Honestly I think any time a writer has an out of the box idea they should go directly to TNT or ScyFy NBC lost its creative edge years ago.It takes time to build a following and obviusoly this is a problem for the major networks.Harry’s Law was to ethnic so they change the demographics and still they cancelled the show.I am amazed at the number of stupid shows still on TV. Any reality show about towing, repossesssions… Read more »
Fire the guys who canceled this brilliant series!
You’re killing me. You can’t end the smartest show on television!
The ending was not satisfying at all. It was obvious that the show was not intended to stop right there. I needed something more to sum it up and give me more closure as to what Michael’s reality really was. This was by far, the best show I’ve ever seen in my life. My boyfriend and entire family watches it faithfully– I couldn’t wait til Thursday every week!! It kept me guessing all the way through. There is truly no other show that comes close to comparison. I cannot express enough my disappointment that it was canceled. If it came… Read more »
Have you seen Alcatraz????
[…] UPDATE: Awake was cancelled by NBC. […]
I thoroughly enjoyed “Awake” and found the fnale very satisfying. It seems that the really interesting, out of the norm shows that make it to season 2 or beyond are never as good as that first season. Perhaps we need to embrace tv dramas that tell a really good stories with great writing and wonderful actong all in one season.
An excellent show with a fascinating premise. Finally a detective show that required viewers to think a bit. Jason Isaacs and other cast members were terrific. This series should be picked up by a network or cable channel that appreciates quality.
Fascinating show. Wish it would continue! All of the actors and characters were interesting and well-acted. Just when it was getting even more intriguing…
Awake was so different from all the other crime dramas! Applause to the writers. The problem. I believe was the time slot. I found myself dvr ing it or watching on demand. It deserves another chance on NBC or another network!
So sorry to see this cancelled. It was intellegent, interesting and delt with intense and relevant subject matters. It was a truly unique show. I guess it was just too intellectual for the average joe.
Love the show Awake. Kept us guessing . I hope another net world picks this good show up.
There are too many detective shows on tv… But finally one that is different and kept us guessing not solving it half eat through the hour..they should have given Awake more time. They should re-air the first season and I bet it will catch on. Another net work should pick this one up!
Where was it going to go after Michael’s dilemma was resolved. I believe it was a good show, interesting premises and unlike many shows cancelled with resolution.
Nice ending.
You know i never expected NBC to fall into the ABC/Fox trap of going for the lowest common denominator. This show had incredible potential for really interesting plot development and great characters. But, no we gotta deal with Alcatraz, The River and Flashforward all over again. It is time that you and I fellow Series Viewers to force the hand of these networks into having “Web Only” Shows. I have at least 100 friends who religiously watched this show…. on the internet. That said the ratings systems and cable in general is just too far behind the times.