With Revolution taking a break, NBC decided to try a new Monday night drama, Deception. Has it been a ratings success for the network or will it end up being cancelled like so many of their other Monday night dramas?
On Deception, a wealthy party girl has been mysteriously murdered. Her childhood friend, now a San Francisco narcotics detective, is convinced by her former partner to go undercover into the wealthy world she thought she’d left behind. The cast includes Laz Alonso, Meagan Good, Victor Garber, Katherine LaNasa, Tate Donovan, Wes Brown, and Ella Rae Peck.
The series debuted in January to a 2.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 5.66 million total viewers. Those were hardly impressive numbers and were less than half of what Revolution’s premiere drew a few months earlier. Year-to-year however, it was a big improvement over the ratings NBC was getting for Rock Center with Brian Williams.
In week two, Deception’s ratings dropped more than 20% to a 1.6 demo rating and 4.14 million. That was not positive — and the ratings kept falling. As we now near the end of Deception’s 11 episode run, the ratings seem to have stabilized at a 1.1 demo rating with about 3.3 million viewers.
Those numbers are terrible and certainly there’s no ratings justification for NBC to renew Deception for a second season. They cancelled shows like Chase and The Playboy Club and they had better numbers than Deception.
On the positive side, at least NBC aired all of the episodes. Unfortunately, viewers are unlikely to ever get their storyline questions answered.
But, what do you think? Should NBC stick with Deception and give it another shot next year or should they cancel it instead? Why do you think it didn’t catch on with a bigger audience?
Deception in my opinion is one of the better shows on television right now. Week after week I’m letting waiting for the next episode. I love this show, and my hope is that NBC will take a chance on a second season.
Amen to that! If they planned to cancel they should have ended it with a tell all the last episode!
Loved it! Don’t cancel!!!
PLEASE DO NOT CANCEL. This show is good and deserves at least one last season. I think it would have been best as a mini series on a network like HBO, but it’s is disrespectful to loyal viewers to not adequately end the story.
I think it struggled because it was competing against other shows, simple bad air time.
Yesssss I loveeee it !!!!!!! We need to have a season 2 I wanna know who killed vivan!!!!!!!!
her father killed robert bowers
Definitely has to be a second season! We deserve answers and justice! Please air another season! PLEASE!
No, please don’t cancel deception. What a great show with an excellent story line that makes you want to keep watching more. It is a show that you need to watch week by week or you’ll be lost but it is so worth the hour sitting on the couch. I really hope this show is renewed. Excellent cast and storyline. I want closure !!!!!
No this was the only reason why I looked forward to mondays don’t cancel
Please do NOT cancel!!!! Loved the show!!!!
I thought this show got better and better with each episode! Renew it for season 2!
Love this show there’s still a lot that can be explored here. Really hope that NBC will give it at least another chance.
no its a awesome show!!!!!!
Renew it for a second season!
Cancel it. It was a limited series concept to begin with, like Revenge, which was reasonably well paced but should have ended after one season. When it got renewed the pace settled down to a crawl and it has now turned into a prime time soap where nothing can get resolved because if it does then the show ends. A show like HBO’s Damages, on the other hand, had a great concept where there was one major arc per season. The pace was maintained, and the show ended before becoming stale. By the way, Deception’s Tate Donovan was outstanding in… Read more »
Damages was an FX program not HBO
Deception has potential because of the underlining storylines that can be explored. The Revenge comment I agree with. It was great in the beginning and could have stayed off the soap opera track with they explored some could be storylines.
My question is are ratings only counted by who watches the show that night? Because I hardly watch prime-time tv during prime-time. I watch on the weekends via OnDemand. Everyone I talk to is watching the show and love it.
Don’t cancel this show. We still got to find out what happened to Vivian…
NOOOOOOOOO it shouldn’t be cancelled!! This was a great show for my 17 year old daughter and me to watch — mother/daughter bonding on Monday nights!!! We just finished watching the season finale and both said we can’t wait for next season – please, please don’t cancel the series.
I agree, do not cancel it. Love this show!
I’ve been checking for NBC’s decision regarding Deception’s future for weeks. I hope that it comes back for season 2..
PLEASE DON’T CANCEL!