Earlier this week, NBC announced their mid-season schedule and, not surprisingly, low-rated Prime Suspect wasn’t on it. Supposedly NBC execs hadn’t cancelled the show and would still be “considering their options” until all 13 episodes had aired.
Now comes word that production will be shutting down before the holiday. The cast and crew were reportedly informed of the season wrap on Monday afternoon, as NBC was announcing their schedule. It surely wasn’t a surprise. Mario finishing episode 12 now and will complete number 13 before closing up shop.
There won’t be any more episodes produced for this season, despite the fact that the network ordered another half dozen scripts. Though NBC isn’t officially saying that Prime Suspect is cancelled, the cast and crew have been told that there won’t be a second season.
Theoretically, Prime Suspect could be brought back next season but that would mean that the network would have to put a lot of money into promoting a show that had been off the air for nine months, a show that couldn’t muster strong ratings after a big launch. Thus far the show’s averaged a dismal 1.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic and just 4.97 million viewers.
There’s simply no reason for the network to spend any more resources on Prime Suspect. For whatever reason, most of the network just weren’t interest in this TV series.
What do you think? Are you sorry that Prime Suspect is being cancelled and won’t be back for a second season?
Image courtesy NBC.
I watch very little network TV and look forward to Prime Suspect every week…I’m not sure if leaving comments on these websites actually matter but my whole family was disappointed to learn of the cancellation. I’m hoping some other network picks it up!
I am so sad to hear the show was canceled. I think the show was great Bello showed a form a realistic acting hardly seen on TV anymore. I’m so sick of reality TV. This is just sad.
This show is fantastic. I look forward to it almost as much as any other new show on this season. It has everything I want in a cop show. Maria Bello is terrific in the lead and all the other characters and the tension work really well. The characters are just beginning to take shape. If NBC cancels this for good it is no wonder CBS is kicking their butt. NBC doesn’t seem to care about anything except the annoying Office copy cat comedies.
My hubby and I loved the show..and looked forward to it every week. I guess we will turn off our tv for good now.
Too good to cancel. It is discouraging to see so much crap get renewed when the quality work is shoved in the bottom drawer. Crying shame.
We love Prime Suspect and think Maria Bello is amazing. I would hate to see this cancelled.
I was incredibly disappointed when the producers replaced Toby Stephens without explanation…Still, I watched three episodes hoping that I’d get over it but it was a losing proposition. My guess is that Mr. Stephens is happy to be out of the fray…and that he doesn’t have this stinker on his resume!
This is an excellent show, the character interactions are great . I agree with EVERYTHING moeursalen above said!!! Don’t cancel this show, put it in a stable time slot and promote it!
I PVR it so I don’t miss it but others might.
I’ll keep saying it. This is our top new show. Everyone I know likes it. Maybe they should stop paying schlubs to get their Nielsen ratings and find some intelligent folk to add into the mix. if these clowns would have been around they would have cancelled Seinfeld the first terribly rated season and it would never have become the number one show for years. Dumb people cancel smart shows. Put it on AMC and it’s a hit.
VERY disappointed to learn that Prime Suspect is being cancelled! Maria Bello….all the actors…..great characterizations…..wonderful stories! Please give it another shot! The CBS series, Blue Bloods and and The Good Wife were toss ups at the start, but are doing great…..my favorites as well! In my opinion, it is way too soon to pull the plug on Prime Suspect….it is a smart, well-done series that deserves enough time to establish itself!
Please leave this show on. Give it the chance – promote it to the audience that followed for years ER on NBC – an intelligent program with a loyal base to the wonderful characters on the show and story lines that actually make you think and care about the story. A well done goes to the actors and writers of Prime Suspect – I looked forward to your work every week. Thank you.
Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! Has some of the best actors, the best scriptwriting, the best action of any show. My wife and I both liked it, and we prefer fast- paced cop shows with witty, realistic dialogue. The idiots who program these things kept moving the time slot around. WTF has time to research where it shows up next? Maybe it’s that television is mostly for idiots b/c every time we find something we like, it disappears. NBC should have supported this show and kept it in the same time slot so we could find it. What were they thinking, spending… Read more »
i am really upset about the show being cancelled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i thought it was one of the most absolute best crime show their is,and i am a HUGE fan of criminal minds. all the charaters were just amazing together. please bring this show back, put it out there a little longer, let the word get around a little more n you’ll see ratings go up.
This is the one new show I looked forward to each week and actively searched for when it wasn’t turning up in its regular slot. Excellent acting and writing. I hope another network picks it up.
I liked this show more than almost any show previously on TV- perfect casting, loved Maria and others together. Please bring them all back.