NBC has cancelled the Thursday airings of their low-rated legal series, The Firm, and sent it packing to Saturday nights at 9pm beginning February 11th.
The Firm follows attorney Mitch McDeere (Josh Lucas), his wife Abby (Molly Parker), and their daughter Claire (Natasha Calis), as they emerge from the witness protection program after 10 years. They relocate to Washington, DC to restart their lives but problems from the past quickly resurface. The show’s cast also includes Callum Keith Rennie, Juliette Lewis, Tricia Helfer, and Shaun Majumder.
NBC had high hopes for the legal drama but it stumbled in the ratings right from the start. The two-hour premiere of The Firm registered just a 1.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 6.32 million viewers. The numbers got even worse once the show moved to Thursday nights and, for the past two weeks, has only mustered a 0.8 rating with fewer than three million total viewers.
It’s no surprise that NBC is banishing The Firm to Saturday nights with ratings like these. Grimm repeats will fill the Thursdays at 10pm timeslot for the immediate future. Starting March 1st, the peacock network’s new drama Awake will take over.
While it looks highly unlikely that NBC will purchase a second season of The Firm, it seems certain that viewers will get to see all 22 episodes of season one.
If The Firm had been a typical network show, the episode order probably would have been cut down to 13 installments because of the low ratings. However, NBC’s deal for The Firm is unique and a bit more like the one the network had for Merlin, the supernatural drama produced by the BBC.
Sony and Entertainment One partnered to produce The Firm, primarily for the overseas market. Thanks to pre-sales and Canadian production tax credits, the cost of producing the series was already paid for and NBC was able to pick up the show for a greatly reduced licensing fee, just like any other secondary buyer.
If The Firm had been a big success, NBC would have made quite a profit on the series. As things worked out, the network may still be making some money on the deal or at least hasn’t lost much.
Will there be a second season? That depends on Sony and Entertainment One, not NBC.
What do you think? Do you like The Firm? Do you think it should continue?
Image courtesy NBC.
We Love the firm! We have enjoyed all 22 episodes and are hoping that the fans save this show!
Don’t cancel the FIRM!!!! IT keeps you on the edge of your set and longing for more…
The good shows are always cancelled. Insteady they put on on junk like dogs in NY or some love in jugle….KEEP THE FIRM!!!!
A great show, we look forward to watching it every week. Don’t cancel it !!
We also really like the Firm. I just got on the computer to catch up on an episode we missed when I saw the comments about it being cancelled. It is so hard to find something to watch other than reality tv. We would like to see The Firm return. I just told others about the show, I hope they get a chance to see it!
AGAIN: Another well written, well acted and cast show going away.. I feel the same way about ABC’s show “Missing” w/ Ashley Judd… Why are the networks feeding the appetites of the mindless who only get their thrill through the actions of others on these
MOSTLY STUPID reality shows. A waste of time… I noticed that the only way the show “Damages” with Glenn Close continued is that Direct TV carries it on their dedicated channel
Yeah they cancelled it and what makes it so bad if you watch Ep 22 and how it ends guess what that’s it folks to find out what happens there would have had to been a season 2
ken » How have you seen it? NBC still has two episodes left.
A great show! I hope it comes back…
I saw the premiere while I was a patient in a hospital and I’ve been watching it ever since. I’ll be VERY disappointed if it gets cancelled without even knowing how things turn out! One has to wonder what the morons at NBC are thinking when there is so much “reality” crap on the air now. Reality is trying to make it work in a fragile economy, not dancing, one-hit wonders or shallow contestants on “love” TV. Perhaps it’s American bias and contempt that a good portion of the cast are Canadian born, but who knows? NBC these days means… Read more »
Please don’t cancel The Firm. I NEVER watch reality shows. This is one show that I look forward to watching.
This is a great show, don’t cancel. Something worthwhile to watch beside realty crap. Leave it on the air.
We absolutely love The Firm and are sad to see it go. Too bad more people didn’t tune in, because they would have enjoyed a quality show.
Cant believe their cancelling this after one season. I really enjoy the show and have my dish set up to record it everyweek so I dont miss it. REALLY GOING TO MISS THIS SHOW.
It’s a real shame that they are taking The Firm off the air. I think that NBC doesn’t know a good program when they have one. Also taking off Harry’s Law is ridiculous. two best shows on and they take them off.
I love this show and I can’t believe it may be cancelled. It gets better with every episode; it keeps me at the edge of my seat. That can’t be said for most of TV programming today. I say Sony, Entertainment Today bring it back for a 2nd season! Harry’s Law as well I think Kathy Bates is FANTASTIC!
The Firm is one of my Husband’s and myself favorite TV series . We cannot wait to see it every week.