A couple weeks ago, the peacock network finally started airing their new Friends with Benefits sitcom. The pilot for the TV show was developed for ABC but they passed on the series and NBC picked it up. Now that the show’s debuted, is the alphabet network regretting their decision or will the sitcom flop and be quickly cancelled?
Friends with Benefits revolves around a group of friends who live in Chicago and their relationships are complicated to say the least. Ben Lewis (Ryan Hansen) is on the hunt for the perfect woman who can meet his impossibly high standards. His best friend, Doctor Sara Maxwell (Danneel Harris), just wants a compatible man and to raise a family with him. They end up turning to each other for both moral and physical support as they wait for their mates to come along. Others in the cast include Zach Cregger, Andre Holland, and Jessica Lucas.
The NBC sitcom debuted with a pair of episodes on August 5th. The first one brought a terrible 0.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic and only 2.34 million viewers. It was third in the timeslot, tying with a repeat of Bones on FOX. The episode that followed at 8:30 dropped 14% to an even worse 0.6 demo rating and 1.96 million total viewers.
The following week’s installments fell again to a 0.5 rating and an average of 1.84 million. They were in fourth place in the timeslot, only beating a repeat of The CW’s Nikita. Last Friday’s episodes didn’t do any better.
Friends with Benefits is easily the worst performing original series on NBC. To put it in perspective, Minute to Win It is doing terribly but still gets about twice the ratings of Friends with Benefits. The peacock network execs obviously didn’t have much faith in Friends with Benefits which is why they delayed it until summer. Still, just how badly the show is actually doing is likely still a shock.
There is absolutely no way that NBC will be renewing this sitcom for a second season. If anything, they’ll pull it before all of the episodes have aired. For right now, episodes 11 and 12 are scheduled to air on September 9th. That will leave one remaining installment but, with ratings like these, the network hardly has any incentive to want to find a spot for the season/series finale.
But what do you think? Do you like Friends with Benefits? Would you like to see it renewed for a second season or just quickly cancelled?
Image courtesy NBC.
This is an amazing show! I absolutely love it! The ONLY thing I disliked about it is how the episodes were not connected at all. Like, seriously what happened to sarah and ben when ben was in the dumps and slept with riley when sarah didnt want to be friends anymore?? BRING IT BACK!!! JUST CONNECT THE EPISODES THIS TIME!!!!!!!
Please bring this show back! It’s awesome!
True fact about U , u close all the good shows with the bad once 2 ! … i mean scrubs last season .. came on ! ,
friends>> well it were the actors! who closed it but they were so good 🙁 … make anther show similar to it with new funny talants with same writers , it may works really good
friends with benifts , truth be said i hav seen 3 episodes and i really enjoyed them !
Keep this show I want to see season two!! This show should be up there with “the walking dead” and “breaking bad” an outstanding show!
i want a second season of this sitcom. do it.
I would love for another season!! It’s like a younger Cali which is on showtime. Keep it going!
i love it and definately wanna see season 2
Please don’t cancel his show, really it’s one of the best shows ever and please keep making more seasons
Bring it back! This is one of the best tv shows I have seen.
This show is awesome! I didn’t hear about it until now and I wish to see another season. I feel that many people haven’t heard about it yet and putting another season out will be best.
Honestly, this show has potential and NBC can’t notice that. This show has a real warmth with the relationship between characters, it’s very well written and people can make a connection to it- seriously who has had a crush on one of their friends before?
I’m just saying if NBC was brave enough, had better advertisement and maybe given it a better time and/or night, then I think this show could do really well for NBC.
Yes please bring it back! I didnt know about this show if it wasn’t for netflix. They didn’t give enough publicity for people to find out. But its soooo funny! Please please please make a season 2 and 3, 4, 5 so on….pleaseee
Yeah NBC this show will do very well with the right marketing behind it! It has a great Internet following…use that to give NBC a stronghold in Internet programming. I’d watch it online religiously! Please bring it back somehow! The cast was great, I connected, and Vodka!
They should not cancel this show. I think it’s funny. Everybody I know thinks its good. It hasn’t had very many episodes that people could really notice it on television they have to play more than that for people to really see it. Make season 2!!!!!
Love actors, don’t cancel the show!!!