A couple months ago, NBC premiered a new legal TV series from David E. Kelley called Harry’s Law. The series started out decently in the ratings but has fallen quite a bit since then. Tonight is the season finale. Will it be back for season two or end up cancelled?
Harry’s Law revolves around Harriet “Harry” Korn (Kathy Bates), a cranky former patent lawyer. She’s abruptly fired from a big firm, forcing Harry to search for a fresh start. She finds it when she meets Malcolm Davies (Aml Ameen), a college student who desperately needs her help and ends up working for her. A young legal hotshot named Adam Branch (Nate Corddry) accidentally hits Harry and gives up his corporate job to join the team. With the help of Harry’s footwear-obsessed assistant, Jenna (Brittany Snow), they open for business as Harriet’s Law and Fine Shoes.
The NBC series debuted in January with a 2.2 rating in the prized 18-49 demographic and 11.07 million viewers. That was an improvement of nearly 50% in the demo when compared to the last original episode of Chase, the previous timeslot occupant and NBC has had a hard time filling that spot for quite some time. The second episode only came down 5% to a 2.1 rating and 10.43 million. Week three held steady. It was looking like NBC had a hit — or as close as the network seems to get these days.
Then, the fourth installment took a big tumble, dropping 19% to a 1.7 demo rating and 9.22 million. It stayed at that level for a couple weeks, popped up to a 1.8 rating, and has most recently been holding steady at a 1.6 rating. That’s pretty close to what Chase had been doing and that’s all but cancelled.
Tonight marks the twelfth and final episode of the season and Harry’s Law is averaging a 1.8 rating and 9.54 million viewers. It’s the 10th highest rated scripted series on the network, tied with Chuck. On the other big networks, the series would certainly doomed but NBC has lots of ratings problems.
In truth, based on the demo numbers alone, NBC shouldn’t bring back this series for a second season. However, though it ranks towards the bottom of the demo rankings, it’s the most-watched TV show on the network. Though that doesn’t count for much, considering the state of NBC, it may be enough to get Harry’s Law a renewal.
On the other hand, with David E. Kelley likely having another series on NBC next season — the new Wonder Woman — network execs might prefer that he focus on that one and let Harry’s Law go. If they don’t like the Wonder Woman pilot, that may be enough to save Kathy Bates and company.
NBC probably won’t reveal the fate of Harry’s Law until the advertiser upfronts on May 16th. We’ll keep you posted.
What do you think? Should Harry’s Law be renewed or cancelled? If it does comes back, how would you suggest they change it to attract more viewers?
Image courtesy NBC.
Harry’s Law is a must have in the TV world. Its compassionate and funny. Its a great twist on Lawyer shows. It injects humor which to me is awesome! I like who has been added to the cast. The only thing I would change is the direction of the relationship of Malcom and (crap I cant think of her name) The storyline is just pathetic and I would much rather have that time spent on Puck, Tommy or Kim Story lines. They are a great in the office seque characters, but that is about it in my opinion. otherwise I… Read more »
Love the show. Please bring it back. Looked forward to it every Monday night.
Cancel it!
MY husband & I love Harry’s Law, I love Cathy Bates even if she is at her heaviest point right now she is still a fantastic actress. Please don’t cancel the show.
Original and funny! Give it a chance!
Of course the ratings started high when the competing shows were reruns. If they want higher ratings, why not move it so it doesn’t compete with the other channels high rated shows? It never fails to amaze me that the good shows competeing against other good shows get cancelled because they don’t get a high enough rating. Put your good show against a crappy show (so many to choose from!) and see your ratings soar NBC!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO !!!! Please keep it………but it will probably get cancelled as all the good shows do and they keep all the crap !
Once again David Kelley makes TV worth watching!! Kathy Bates and the supporting cast celebrate the “quirkiness” in all of us.
PLEASE continue with Harry’s Law…..Kathy Bates is delightful and the rest of the cast is the same! Give this more time…….if you cancel this GREAT show I’ll really have NO REASON to watch NBC at all!!!!!!
Sorry but I say pull the plug. I can respect Kathy Bates as an actor but the remaining characters are generally annoying. I watch shows that are at least remotely believable and this one is not. The premise is very corny to say the least.
Finally, a weekly series we anticipate and plan our evening around. Don’t take it off the air! We really enjoy it and the different situations that occur during the hour-long entertainment. Cathy Bates is fantastic!
Harry’s Law is a wonderful show. Its light, but always with a good plot. I would truly hate to see it cancelled.
SO VERY ENTERTAINING. EACH OF THE CHARACTERS COMPLIMENTS EACH OTHER. HOPE IT RETURNS. KATHY BATES IS JUST THE BEST.
My wife and I really enjoed Harry’s law and are very disappointed that the ratings were low.
PLEASE do not cancel Harry’s law. I know so many people that watch this show and they’re running home after a full day’s work just to watch it. Kathy Bates is at her best and has the right amount of sauce to make watching this show worth every penny. Not to mention her phenominal acting. She uses her magnetic skills and years of experience at the end of each show with bang. And, you fall in love with her character all over again. Not to mention, the talented crew that makes it all happen: Nate, Brittany, Aml, Paul and Cristopher.… Read more »
I couldn’t have said it better. This show is so worth the time and money. I have DVD’s every episode. Just absolutely love this show.