It looks like the axe has fallen for the Paul Haggis/Bobby Moresco drama The Black Donnellys. But does it have to be replaced by a reality show?
The Black Donnellys follows the story of four young Donnelly brothers — a clan of Catholic Irish-American siblings who are involved in organized crime in New York’s infamous Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The story is told by unreliable narrator and Donnelly childhood friend named Joey “Ice Cream” while being incarcerated. The series stars Jonathan Tucker, Thomas Guiry, Olivia Wilde, Billy Lush, Michael Stahl-David, Kirk Acevedo and Keith Nobbs.
The series debuted on NBC on February 26, 2007 and took the place of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on Monday nights. The series’ initial half hour did well (10 million) but viewership fell off significantly in the second half hour (6 million). The series’ initial hour ranked #50 for the week. The subsequent episodes lost viewers and attracted as few as 5.5 million.
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While many hoped that a Donnelly dismissal would mean the return of Studio 60, NBC has other plans. The Real Wedding Crashers will debut at 10pm on Monday nights beginning April 23rd, just in time for May sweeps. It seemed like the Crashers reality show would air on Sunday nights but, NBC execs like the series enough to give it the benefit of a post-Heroes debut.
Unless NBC pulls the series even earlier, only eight episodes of Donnellys will have aired on network TV. The series’ third episode, entitled “God is a Comedian Playing to an Audience Afraid to Laugh,” was considered too violent for network TV and was released as an NBC.com exclusive.
The network has ordered 13 episodes and its unknown at this point what will become of the remaining four segments. They may air over the summer or could be released as online exclusives.
Whether we get to see the rest or not, it looks unlikely the series will be back for a new season in the Fall. NBC will announce their Fall schedule next month. Stay tuned! 
UPDATE: NBC has now pulled Donnellys’ last scheduled episode due to low ratings. The unaired episodes will be made available on NBC.com, presumably on a weekly basis.
Cancelling the black donnellys is brutal! There is next to nothing on TV as it is, i get hooked on this one show only for it to be cancelled. what a joke, might as well put some gay show in its place because i know i sure won’t watch it! BLA NBC! BLA!
This was my favorite show. I looked forward to it every week. I am very disapointed.
This was the only show I watched on NBC. Now, outside of the rare sporting event, I will never watch NBC.
The Black Donnellys wasn’t perfect – it was still working out the kinks, but what long-running series doesn’t have a slightly rough first season? Maybe it can take over for the Sopranos on HBO, but I won’t be holding my breath.
You finally had a good drama and now your canceling it? Way to go NBC…absolutly brilliant.
Love this show.
Please don’t cancel.
Why do people always go to the dumbest networks w/ the best ideas for a show…BOYCOTT NBC!!!! …Except Heroes
Wedding Crashers —— !!!Please, haven’t we seen about as much reality TV that we can stand ! I’ve had it with that crap over and over again. I recorded The Black Donnellys and watched 5 episodes in one day and was hooked. Now it’s over with not even any closer….Nice way to keep us changing channels NBC … Now Mondays suck as bad as Thursdays… Must see tv will never be the same……. Please bring B.D back ………… Remember a little show called Friends, seems it didn’t do well in it’s first season.
I can’t believe that this show is being cut so early in the game. This is honestly the ONLY show I watch on T.V. I watch it every monday and look for online episodes in my freetime. This was a big screen promotion to hit the networks, and they should have just stuck with it for a little while longer! What am I going to watch now? Sure as F*** not wedding crashers…how lame!
WTF, I’m boycotting NBC, and I’m telling everyone I know to do the same. Amazing show, BS on NBC.
I can not believe that NBC is canceling such an amazing show. For what..because they think it is too violent for network tv. Did they ever take a look at the news??? So now they are going to put another mindless reality show on. Let’s see….how many shows can they put on that make even more people look like complete idiots. I seriously think we have enough of those on already. What we really need are some good tv programs that people really like and will actually watch. I looked forward to watching The Black Donnelly’s ever week and now… Read more »
I cant believe they cancelled black donnellys !! I love this show, it was the only one I watched besides Heroes(on NBC). Put it back on!!
This show was awesome. NBC is a bunch of idiots. For the first time in a while I was completely intrigued by a television show. It reminded me of the Sopranos before the Sopranos lost its roots and tried to become artsy. Unfortunately, another great show is victim to America’s growing inability to think on its own.
This was an amazing show. The characters and story line was great. NBC did little or nothing to promote it, few people knew about it, and NBC never gave it the opportunity to get some publicity. This show was one of the best I have watched in a long time. No fluff, just real human stories. hopefully, the show will get picked up by another network. I think it would be great on HBO or Showtime, or even on another cable station. I really hope the show gets a chance to continue.
Thank you charmaine for the petition post. I sent it to all my contacts who all watch this great show. hopefully NBC wakes up. Coming from a huge sports fan I watched TBD instead of the college b-ball
championship game.
This is one of the best shows on television right now. After watching years of mindless reality shows of people just trying to get their 15 minutes of fame, nbc cancels the only show where you actually have to think.