Court will soon be adjourned for the Mark-Paul Gosselaar drama, Raising the Bar. TNT has decided to cancel the series after two seasons but, there may still be more to come.
From executive producer Steven Bochco, Raising the Bar revolves around a group of law school classmates who work on opposite sides of the courtroom. The drama’s cast includes Gosselaar, Gloria Reuben, Currie Graham, Melissa Sagemiller, J. August Richards, Jonathan Scarfe, Teddy Sears, Jane Kaczmarek, Stacy Hall, Natalia Cigliuti, Paul Joyner, Wayne Lopez, Jon Polito, and Angel Oguendo.
Back on September 1, 2008, the series premiere attracted 7.7 million viewers. That set a record for TNT as the biggest audience for a new series launch on regular cable. Unfortunately, much of the audience didn’t return for later episodes which averaged 5.5 million. Despite an early decline, TNT renewed the series for a second season.
 Loading ... |
On June 8th, season two of Raising the Bar attracted just 3.6 million and shed half of the audience of its lead-in, The Closer.
As a result of the low ratings, the cable channel has cancelled the legal drama. Via a statement, a TNT representative said, “Everyone at TNT had a great experience working on Raising the Bar with Steven Bochco and the rest of the show’s terrific cast and crew. We’re proud of the series and appreciate the efforts of all of the creative people who were involved. Unfortunately, ratings for Raising the Bar’s second season did not reach the levels required for TNT to renew the series.”
TNT had opted to split the second season into two parts. The first dozen episodes finished airing on August 24th. That leaves three episodes on the shelf. It was expected that they would air in early 2010 but they haven’t been given airdates yet.
What do you think? Are you upset that the series has been cancelled? Why do you think that Raising the Bar failed — acting, storylines, or something else?
Image courtesy TNT.
great show great writing
and the actors and story lines were great.
my opinion bad time slot also to long between seasons people lose intrest i think thay
should bring the show back to many reality shows raising the bar a great show better then 90 percent of the shows on tv today.
please bring it back in a better time slot mabe even on local tv with todays economy alot of familys can’t pay for cable.
steven bochco coming from 18 ave brooklyn should realize bob
Okay so I love this show so much. It’s a really great drama. The sad thing is it doesn’t even show in Canada. It used to but then the channel that showed it cancelled it. I was so upset when that happened and then decided to watch it online. And now it’s not getting renewed for a third season. Come one. It’s a fantastic show that takes us into the legal world, which I’m very interested in, and it portrays it better than other shows out there. I’m definately going to miss it. A lot of good shows tend to… Read more »
I love this show.. Best of all, it revolves around real life situations without much dramatization. Only problem is that its a pretty big break between seasons so i can see how some people may lose interest.. Other then that, BRING IT BACK!! Thank you
Just another example of industry decision makers messing it up – guess this will make room for another show filled with self-absorbed has-been celebrities rehabbing or trying to impress Trump – those of us who enjoy and appreciate intelligent television are truly a dying breed – so sad
Are you kidding me!! raising the bar was the best legal show period!!
they are crazy for letting this kind of quality go!!
I’m so disappointed! I’m a law student and loved the way the show gave a realistic perspective to the other side of things. It’s not always about the “heroic prosecutor” fighting bad guys. Bring back Raising the Bar!! 🙁
I am so disappointed the Raising the Bar has been cancelled. The show had tremendous potential and the longer I watched it the better the episodes. The actors are terrific. I especially liked that the show dealt with very relevant issues of today. I certainly hope that the network realizes its own error and puts the show back on!
I too looked forward to the show each week! I think you should try a 3rd season, especially since the loyal viewers will be missing out on a great show! Who knows, with the economy the way it is, people may opt to stay home for entertainment like it used to be. Please bring it back on. I loved Saving Grace too but, with all the intimate & sex scenes, it was awkward to view it with my Dad! 🙁
this is crazy. all the really good shows go! Last year Life was cancelled. Had the funiest sense of humor very entertaining. An now this really great show. Great cast, just getting good. What is wrong with TV today? nothing stays on the air for very long to even give a show a chance. its all fast or toss it. must be really young people who don;t care about actual fans.
I loved the show, but was not aware it was on a second season until it was almost over.
Very few friends knew of it. An intelligent loss.
I loved this show, my husband and I watched it all the time. This show and Saving Grace being cancelled pisses me off.
I am also very disappointed that this show was canceled…I thought it demonstrated very well the plight of the poor, the successes and failures of the justice system, and the humanity (sometimes lack thereof) encompassed within society. Please bring it back, or at least show the last few episodes!!!!!!!
It was a great show. TNT has a pretty good reputation in my view of good drama shows that are original productions. Examples I use are Saving Grace, The Closer and Raising the Bar. It’s puzzling to me why they don’t back this show more than they are doing. I love The Closer and really enjoyed Saving Grace, which was also canceled.
the reason the show didn’t get as many viewers is simple-people don’t want to know the truth about the legal system. As a criminal defense lawyer and former public defender I can tell you the show was the most realistic portrayal of the criminal justice system to date. The law is not black and white but is instead interpreted by judges who are definitly not fair or impartial. The prosecution is not based on who is truely guilty but instead on how much work the prosecutor has to do on the case. Oh and of course how the case will… Read more »
We loved the show, it was great and we looked forward to seeing it each week.
The actors were first rate and very good story lines. Real world story lines made it a great show. Bring it back and let us know when. Walt