In July, production on NBC’s Parenthood was delayed due to Maura Tierney becoming ill. She eventually had to drop out of the project and Lauren Graham stepped in.
Because of the backstage issues, NBC delayed Parenthood’s Fall premiere and replaced it with a series that was scheduled for midseason, Mercy. Some wondered if having two new medical series might cause one to suffer. It turns out, Mercy and Trauma are both in critical condition.
Mercy follows the lives of three very different nurses at Mercy Hospital in Jersey City. The cast includes Taylor Schilling, Jaime Lee Kirchner, Michelle Trachtenberg, James Tupper, Diego Klattenhoff, Guillermo Diaz, James LeGros, James Van Der Beek, and Delroy Lindo.
The series got off to a mediocre start on September 23, 2009. The premiere attracted a 2.3 rating in the all-important 18-49 demographic and 8.25 million total viewers. That put the debut in fourth place for the demo and in second place for total viewers.
The second episode fell to a 2.1 rating and 7.35 million. The third installment dropped again to a 1.8 rating in the demo and 7.29 million viewers. Not good.
Though the show’s ratings could hardly be called strong, NBC gave Mercy a full season order in October. The rest of the network’s schedule was performing poorly and the order likely had most to do with the fact that NBC just needed original programming. It didn’t hurt that the series is a co-production of NBC’s corporate sister, Universal Media Studios.
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Meanwhile, Trauma struggled from the very beginning and NBC pulled the plug after 13 episodes. But then, based on the need for more programming, the network ordered seven more installments. That show returns on March 8th but is a big longshot for renewal.
While Mercy was initially the better performer, the show’s ratings have now reached Trauma-like levels. The most recent episode of Mercy hit a series low with a dismal 1.4 rating in the demo and just 5.86 million viewers.
NBC’s Primetime Entertainment President Angela Bromstad recently said that she still loves the drama creatively, but she also noted that the show’s ratings need to rise for it to survive. She made that statement before Mercy fell to its most recent low.
The network has commissioned 18 pilots for the 2010-11 season and Bromstad has acknowledged that they’ll have to essentially rebuild their schedule from scratch.
With the ratings as poor as they are, it’s highly likely that Mercy will be cancelled and won’t survive to see a second year.
What do you think? Would you be sorry to see Mercy cancelled? Is it worth watching? Is there a reason that more viewers aren’t tuning in?
Image courtesy NBC.
Coming from a future nurse myself I find this show right on with it’s characters, storyline, and medical correctness! It’s very hard to find a medical show that actually pays attention to the reality of nursing and a hospital setting and this show does it! Don’t take this away!
PLEASE DON’T CANCEL MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We love it too! It is a GREAT show!
We agree with everyone Please Don’t Cancel it
Return for fall of 2010 PLEASE and keep it running.
Definitely a keeper! I think NBC needs to promote the show’s uniqueness. It’s not just another ER or Grey’s Anatomy. This show has depth. Taylor Schilling is a superb leader for an excellent cast!
I love the show….. please please dont cancel it!
I think it’s the timing…perhaps that’s a bad time for the target demographic..I always miss it at 8pm and have to watch it on nbc.com Maybe if it were on at 9?
this show CANT be cancelled!! It’s my favorite show and basically the life I’ve always wanted, minus the whole affair part, but the affair is part of what makes this show amazing! this show is incredible!
I am obvioulsy in the minority here, but if the show continues to go with the “Sands and Ronnie were always meant to be together” storyline, I hope it is cancelled. Ronnie living happily ever after with the hunky doctor she cheated with on her husband has always been a turn-off for me. I have watched the show from the beginning, but that aspect of the show has really become a problem for me. Now they have Sonia cheating on her boyfriend who had seemed a perfect match for her. Last night’s episode ended with a really touching scene between… Read more »
I also LOVE LOVE LOVE this show! This is one of the few that I actually follow! My schedule conflicts with work but I always DVR it! I will be very dissipointed if there is not a 2nd season! Reality shows are taking over and I personally hate it! My other fav show also got axed a year or so ago (Lipstick Jungle)….Bringing these awesome shows in just for 1 year then canning them is so misleading…just long enough to get hooked!
Love the show! I hope they do not take it off the air. I would rather see a decent drama then the reality shows. ;0(
Please don’t cancel Mercy. I absolutely love it!!!
Love the show!! Better than Gray’s anatomy.
Please don’t cancel!!!
I really do enjoy this show, it would be a shame to see it go! Mercy is a LOT better than all the other crap on tv, NBC has screwed up enough this year[lifetime], if they cancel Mercy it’ll only add to their list of dumb decisions!
I will be so so SAD if they cancel it! I got drawn to it by first episode. I LOVE Veronica’s character and the tension between her and Sans. I look forward to it every Wed. I have it set to my DVR so I know I will not miss an episode. What makes it hard to follow is it NOT being aired every week. I get so frustrated with every other episode being aired in two weeks!
i love that show! itz nice to actually tune in to something that isnt reality tv!!!!
I am in the same boat as Charlotte. I don’t always have time to turn on the TV at home, so I keep up with the episodes I miss on Hulu during my work breaks. It allows me to take the episode with me as long as I have a computer and internet access. There have been too many shows in the past few years that I have started watching only to have them quickly canceled by NBC. This frustrates me as a viewer because I feel like any NBC show I start to watch will inevitably be off the… Read more »
I would really hate to see Mercy canceled. It is one of my favorite shows. However, I have to record it in order to watch it, and I’m not sure if DVR is counted in the ratings. But I love this show, and these networks need to stop cancelling these shows so quickly. Give Mercy a chance.
Love Mercy! Characters, actors, storyline, setting– it’s great and different, despite being about a hospital. I don’t watch it when it airs, but I watch it religiously on Hulu the next day every week. I will be soooo sad to see this go. It’s the best drama on TV right now!