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.
 Loading ... |
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.
Bring back season 2 of the firm if not on tv on dvd I want to see more
The second season of the Firm should go on dvd if not on tv I saw the complete series it’s just to good to stop. try it again
I’ve nvr seen a series that makes me crazy as this one. Plz bring it back…
Really enjoyed watching the firm. Pls bring it back. .
It’s highly unfortunate this educative series has been cancelled & taken off air. Please, reconsider your decision. Great series, great characters.
Hello, I’m French and I loved this series The Firm! But I am very disappointed to see that there will be no season 2 while at the end of the 22nd episode of season 1 they let us into the plot and waiting for a sequel! So always a silver history because of insufficient audience “not enough people watch commercials” and therefore no season 2 for those who watched! Yet I find this kind of even more exciting that all these cop shows series! Obviously I vote for the continuation of this great series as being left hungry I hate… Read more »
The story does not end
this is stupid!!!!! THE FIRM is a show one can never get enough of. within 2 days, i managed to watch all the episodes of season 1, thats how interesting this series is. it kept me glued on ma chair. please let us (The Firm fanatics) be given the opportunity to continue with it and avail season 2 for us.
It was a cerebral show. I really loved the time I spent with the characters. I would watch on another channel, or even better on Netflix.
This is a stupid move…… it’s always good to have instant spikes with TV show ratings. As i recall, Fawlty Towers didn’t do as good when it first came on air……took a few weeks alright! This show “has” a lot of potential to be one of the biggest, and most watched. Unlike a lot of cheap stuff on TV, it has originality on a large scale (u wonder why LA Law got so many eps). It could be the next big thing since Boston League, and u guys have given it the axe. If it’s not too late, bring it… Read more »
I agree with Marty above comments that shows like these that have good stories great actors and extremely interesting and entertaining go by the wayside all too soon. Sometimes it takes a few seasons for a show to get noticed by the viewers before it can take-off. AND on the other hand there are too many MORONIC shows that are still on!!! These network executives really ought to wake up and realize what is GOOD television and what is CRAP. I vote for continuing ‘The Firm’ for at least one more season to really test the market. Thank you, Thomas… Read more »
I was wondering what’s the delay in bringing back my Favoriten Show. I am quite dissapointed to learn of the cancellation.
I thought it was a great show and think they need to sign a second year deal if they’re going to end a season like that, it seems this is happening a lot lately. It’s a real shame how good shows like the Firm are being cancelled when they continue some of the garbage they continue for 6+ seasons. Get it fixed people
Make a 2 hour movie to wrap it up. Hooked after first show. Just watched it.
Networks need to give shows a chance. I never even recall the series? Uhmmm. Show commercials of new shows? I think the network is capable of this 😉
I hope they renew The Firm for another season. At least for enough episodes to bring closure to the story. It is unfair that they left the season one finale at a cliff-hanger when the makers knew it would be cancelled 🙁