Last night, NBC burned off the final two episodes of Prime Suspect. The TV series has been ratings-challenged right from the start and, in November, NBC acknowledged that they wouldn’t be ordering any installments beyond the initial 13 episode order. The official word was that they would re-evaluate once all of the episodes had aired but everyone knew that it was really being cancelled.
If there was even a glimmer of hope that Prime Suspect might see a second season, the ratings for the final episodes didn’t help. Prime Suspect’s numbers continued to dwindle in the latter part of 2011. Last night, following a month hiatus, the finale registered a new series low.
Prime Suspect has been all but officially cancelled by NBC and its replacement, The Firm, is doing even worse. Last Thursday’s episode registered a 0.9 rating for its fourth episode. It took Prime Suspect 10 weeks to drop that low. Fortunately for fans of The Firm, NBC purchased 22 episodes up front. It remains to be seen if they’ll all air.
At the recent TCA press tour, NBC execs noted that, had Prime Suspect been on a premium cable channel like Showtime, it would have been declared a hit and would have been quickly renewed. Maybe but we’ll never know.
What do you think? Are you sorry that this was the end of Prime Suspect? Why do you think it didn’t catch on? Would it have been a hit on HBO or Showtime or even on a basic cable station like TNT?
Image courtesy NBC.
So sad to see Prime Suspect cancelled…I don’t feel NBC did enough to showcase this series as it had terrific actors, great story lines and dealt with real issues. Am so tired of all the reality and unrealistic shows being flaunted…time for some good drama, like Prime Suspect.
Such a shame. It was a really good show that mixed both drama and humor.
My daughter and I loved the show and we’re ready to give up on NBC altogether. So keep airing The Office even though it jumped the shark when Steve Carell left, and keep all your crap reality shows…..forget about intelligent dramas! We won’t be watching to know the difference!
No!!! I adored this show and Maria Bello’s awesome, fresh take on the female detective. Please, Showtime, pick it up!!!
liked it
🙁
I really enjoyed this show. I don’t understand why it is being dumped. 🙁
I really enjoyed Prime Suspect! She wasn’t the pretty little lady. She had guts. The guy’s were real guys. Sometimes jerks and sometimes normal. I hope someone does pick it up. Hey TNT!! Give them a run for their money.
Ugh, what a shame! I love this show, my husband and I looked forward to it each week. Great characters, acting, writing. I will really miss this show.
Best cop show on TV, hope they don’t cancel Grimm too.
Ouch, loved the series. too bad about the rating but please really cancel The firm it is an utter waste of time.
It takes a lot for me to invest into a show. PS brought in the elements that sell with me – realistic, ungimmicky story, character development over the course of the series, and actors/characters I can buy into. I am disappointed. So many shows I am willing to spend my time with get thrown out even though they prove themselves to me.
This was a great show with a great character depth by all the actors. It was fresh and will be missed. Why are quality shows cancelled especially on NBC, They need more time to grow.
It’s a shame that the show was cancelled. It’s the only cop show I watched – and I initially watched because of Maria, however the entire cast was great. Why cancel a cop show with a strong woman in the lead??? There are worse rated shows on NBC that continue to air.
sad that they have cancelled the show…my husband and I loved it!
I’m disappointed this show is being canceled. The characters were musch more believable and gritty. It needs to be pie led up TNT or USA.