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.
I can’t believe they cancelled this show! I loved it! Why would they do that?!
LOL
I loved this show… every episode I could find something in one of the characters that related to my life. I really hope they don’t cancel it!
Bring this show back!! It was awesome and always a good laugh!! This was one show my boyfriend actually watched with me!! There is no reason it should have got cancelled!!
I love Friends With Benefits. Very funny and I looked forward to it every week. Figures it gets cancelled right when I’m getting into it. Ugh!
I don’t think Friday is a good night for it. People go out and maybe don’t get to watch tv. I DVRed it every week..even though I knew it was On Demand and then would watch it on Sunday but I checked today and it wasn’t there..so annoyed.
OMG! What will it take to get back Friends with Benefits?? NBC must have morons running it again. Apparently the same idiots who ok’ed Friends, Wings, Helen Hunt in Mad About You, Outsourced, and other poor NBC must have decided to cancel Friends with Benefits. It goes without saying that it is (I refuse to discuss it in the past tense) a great show. Ben’s character is hilarious. What will it take to get it back? Just tell us and we will do it.
I love this show!! Another favorite of mine cancelled but there’s crap like remake of Charlie’s Angels. Friends with Benefits was funny and I don’t care what the critics say. There’s people like that. I know people like that. I admit, I mostly watched it online because I was busy when it was on tv. This show made me really laugh hard which most shows can’t do. BOO to the cancellation!!!!!!!
Love the show! DVR’d it every week and it’s so funny. Please don’t cancel it!!!!!
I am sad that the network is cancelling such a good show. I don’t understand how it received such low ratings???? Every Friday my brother and I watched this show, it actually allowed us to bond. It is unfortunate that NBC will not be picking it up for a 2nd season:( We never will know if Riley and Ben “hooked up”??? Please do your loyal viewers a favor and bring back “FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS” :)))
I watched it every week, I thought it was a great show. With the likelihood of it’s cancelations I’m bummed out I’ll never find out what happens after the cliffhanger.
NO! I love this show! It’s really fun and light hearted. I am so upset it’s being cancelled.
i like it a lot
This show is hilarious! I have no clue why it got such low ratings!
Yes!!!! It should be renewed, and started again verryyyy soon!!
It’s getting to the point where I don’t want to watch any new tv shows. You get into them and then they’re cancelled. It seems like the majority of tv shows are crime and/or crime investigation shows. ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! Some of us have a sense of humor. I would love to see this show come back. It is so funny; especially the scene with the unicorn band-aid! I LOVE THIS SHOW!
such a good sitcom! has a character to relate to every stereotype. definitely hilarious