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.
they need to make another season they left everything so open, anything can happen still.
OMG, dont cancel Mercy! I love the show, I am addicted I have to DVR it while I am at work. There is so much more that can happen
I too LOVED Mercy please dont cancell i want to see what happens it wasnt ever tied up there are too many loose ends!
Loved Mercy!! Never missed an episode and watch several reruns on primetime on demand. Would hate to see this show cancelled.
I LOVE the show Mercy – and am VERY disappointed that it is taken off the air. This, in my opinion, is a big mistake! I would much rather watch Mercy than some of the othe shows on TV. I am saddened by this decision!
please dont take Mercy off the air. i love that show and it is better than some other shows that are on the air now!!!!!!
I’m glad it was cancelled, I live in Jersey City on the block of the pub, filming WAS ANNOYING and disruptive!!!
I’m so disappointed that its cancelled. what a great show, cast, writing, storyline, acting.
I am so looking forward to a second season of Mercy! It left me in shock and I want to see what will happen next. Please bring Mercy back for a second season PLEASE!
Please don’t get rid of this series. Best show ever. I think there are alot of people who record it on a DVR and those people are not being counted . You have to come up with a way of including those counts.
I LOVED Mercy! I am unable to watch TV at night due to my work schedule. However, I have now been able to watch the 1st season online & LOVED it! I so want it to have another season as the final episode left us hanging. The actors do an awesome job & the story line is fantastic….it makes you laugh at times & it’ll bring tears to your eyes. It never makes sense to me why great shows like this are cancelled & crappy reality shows & sitcoms continue to be renewed.
OMG! Keep Mercy on!!! My fiancé are in love with the show!!! We have been on pins and needles to see what happens in season 2! We love to see how the characters change and evolve! DON’T CANCEl MERCY!!!
I LOVED MERCY! I was searching the internet to see wen season two would air, and learned that it was cancelled. I am sad. I will miss this show.
I’ll admit that I didn’t initially watch Mercy and it took probably half the season before I started watching but OMG I’m now addicted to it, I started with episode one and went all the way through within a matter of days on Hulu. These characters have grown on me and now I want to see what happens. Does Chris survive the explosion and how does Mike turn out with helping the chick. I think the entire show has great actors, a great storyline, and just over all good drama. I love this show and I feel like these are… Read more »
Please let us see another season of Mercy. Great characters, good actors, good drama.