It’s been a rough road for Mitch MicDeere. Now, it’s come to an end — at least on NBC. The Firm has been cancelled after one season of 22 episodes.
The Firm picks up years after the young attorney (Josh Lucas) made his deal with the mob to take his old crooked law firm down. He and his family have come out of hiding but their problems haven’t gone away. The show also stars Molly Parker, Callum Keith Rennie, Juliette Lewis, Natasha Calis, Tricia Helfer, Martin Donovan, Shaun Majumder, and Paulino Nunes.
The series represented one of NBC’s biggest launches of the season but it misfired right from the start. The two-hour premiere brought in a dismal 1.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic with just 6.32 million viewers.
When The Firm moved to its regular timeslot on Thursdays a few days later, the numbers got even worse. Week two dropped 29% in the demo and the ratings kept falling in subsequent weeks. After hitting an embarrassing low for a primetime show — a 0.8 demo rating with 2.97 million viewers — NBC sent it packing to Saturday nights.
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The numbers have been awful since that move — even for a Saturday night show. It’s frequently outperformed by movies and crime drama reruns on the other networks.
To date, The Firm has an average of a 0.7 rating in the demo and 2.10 million viewers. On our NBC Ratings Report Card, which measures the relative demo success of shows on the network, the show has a “D-” grade — even after low viewership is taken into account.
On the positive side, 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 eOne 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.
Not surprisingly, The Firm won’t be back on NBC (according to TVWise) because the network has opted not to renew its deal with Sony and eOne. The series could continue to be produced for other markets however and even possibly be picked up by a cable channel here in the US. There’s been no word on the show’s fate beyond NBC so, for now, we’ll have to wait and see.
There are 22 episodes in the first season of The Firm and tonight’s marks the 17th. Right now, the finale is slated for June 23rd. If a second season isn’t going to be produced, hopefully the last episode will supply enough closure for the few million faithful viewers who’ve kept watching.
What do you think? Are you sorry that NBC isn’t continuing the show? Would you watch on another channel or purchase season two on DVD?
Image courtesy NBC.
I would definitely watch this show for season 2. They did not leave the season 1 finale with enough closure, so I hope another channel does pick it up.
We loved this show and hope there is a second season. It really was suspenseful enough to keep us coming back day after day, as we watched it on Hulu. Someone smart should pick it up and keep going! If not, anyone know the rest of the story, or can the writers put out a book to finish the story?
I would definitely watch this on any other channel! So tired of crappy reality shows being kept on, season after season, while good television, with an actual storyline, keeps getting cut just as you are getting attached to the story.
I can’t believe they are letting us hanging on the edge of a roof with Mitch. I hope someone in their right mind will pick up the show.
I can’t believe The Firm is not picked up, yet crap like Bachelor etc is.
I hope a cable company picks it up!
This family would definitely watch The Firm on another channel. or on dvd. It was the greatest show we had watched in a long time. Well worth being picked up by another channel or cable channel.
I loved the show. I anxiously await season 2. I hope it is produced.
Am so looking forward to the next chapter of “The Firm”. One of the best shows on TV. NBC dropped the ball. They claim not enough viewers. Well, how could anyone keep up with the changes as NBC moved it around. Moved it for “Awake”, which was cancelled. If it had been left alone people could have found it.
SHAME ON YOU NBC, FINALLY A GREAT SHOW “THE FIRM” BUT NEVER MIND (THINKING PEOPLE), GO FOR BROKE WITH THE USA BRAIN DEAD FOLKS WHO JUST WATCH REALITY SHOWS AND LOVE TO HEAR CANNED LAUGHTER ON STUPID COMEDY SHOWS.
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We LOVE the show!! Please air or release more episodes on dvd
I’m not a TV watcher but was happy to find a show that I was interested in. I would love to see another network pick it up.
Sandy
I have to watch it during the week on my On Demand channels. Best show I have seen in years and I can’t believe its getting cancelled. The Firm has class, suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat. C’mon NBC, compared to some of the other terrible shows that stay on forever, The Firm is one of the best.
really really like The Firm its a GREAT show – its a clean show- I just can’t believe its not been a hit! PLEASE PLEASE air season 2!!!
We really enjoyed the show. Loved the actors and the plot kept you guessing. Disappointed to not see a conclusion. Why do they keep the trashy shows and get rid of the good ones?