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.
Dear NBC: I am absolutely distraught and disappointed that you had the audacity to cancel PRIME SUSPECT which I deemed the best show on your network and by far the best all around show of 2011. It had great actors, great scripts, character development. What it did not have was a great network. Blathering sitcoms and reality tv make America brain dead. Thanks for dumbing down the American audience. I liked Jane because she was the most interesting female character on television. She portrayed strength, vitality, and kind of an injured soul. Thanks for insulting American women NBC! P.S. And… Read more »
I do not watch television shows as they air in network tv. I stream them because the commercials are less on Huluplus. I loved Prime Suspect. This cast was wonderful and the grit of the story was borderline cable, not network. Maria Bello is wonderful as a strong and sexy woman who projects a model for women to not just be a sex target while still being straight…This is too bad but not surprising…its network tv afterall…
I think the show is fantastic and hate to see it go. Maybe another network will pick it up like TNT.
I agree with the other comments…this show was one of the few that really had “characters”. They were flawed and at times it was uncomfortable but that was what made it different than the cookie cutter cop shows out there. There was actual depth. I was also disappointed to see that NBC is already looking at cancelling The Firm as well…tv really does suck these days. 🙁
We love this show. One of our favorites. Did the network consider we did not receive this channel in our area for the last few weeks? Instead they will replace a great show with another inferior one that no one will watch!!!
Well, there goes another good show down the chute. It seems impossible to get good shows to stick around when the networks are filling up with all these ridiculous 50’s style sugar coated slop sitcoms with very unfunny actors (?). Then there’s always the reality shows. Holy S _ _ _ !! Reality INDEED !!
Love this show. Why would they cancel it? Now I have to watch reruns of the BBC show!
This is one of the best shows to come along since Hill Street Blues, Law & Order, CSI..etc…Please Please Please tell me that one of the other networks is going to pick this up or it will be aired in another time slot. They got it right on this show…the writing…the cast the setting…BRING IT BACK!!!!!!! HBO showtime Fox…I don’t care…just bring it back. Finally a female lead that is believable. Nobody is perfect in this show…that’s what makes it believable. NBC wouldn’t know a good show if it bit them in the butt!! Just sayin…..
Bummed 🙁
It was a good show…..very good ensemble cast. Shame on NBC. It should have given it more time.
Prime Suspect was just getting started and it was becoming a great show!!!! Those of us who don’t watch Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, the Apprentice , lame sitcoms or supernatural power shows need some intelligent dramas. The cast of PS was coming together and putting some meat on the roles. Give quality a chance – it will pay off in the long run…that seems to be a difficult concept to understand to TV bean counters. Sigh
They aired the last episodes of prime suspect the night of the Giants championship game and they wonder why they didnt recieve any fantastic ratings!
This is why NBC sucks. Look what happened to Conan.
I loved this show! Sad to see it go!
I think NBC is crazy. This show is a keeper. What, not enough sex and half dressed women running around for you people. It was refreshing to see an nice looking woman that was not painted with caked on makeup. She is somone that most women want to be self sufficient, career oriented and loving her job. Working in a tough stressful job with all men and they accept her for who she is and the job that she does. Everything else that she goes through in the show is called life, deal with it people. Shame on NBC and… Read more »
I think that the execs should look at more than numbers. They seem to have no faith in their own choices, and with good cause, WHen they stumble on a really good show,, they look at the numbers; doubt themselves; and replace the show. Often with a worse one! Instead of looking past the Nielsons and researching the best time slot for the target audience (i.e. men who may be sports fans, other popular shows in the same time slot,etc.,) they run for the hills. Would giving the show an extra season be more costly than mounting a new show?… Read more »