After low ratings, the peacock network has pulled the plug on the series about a telepathic paramedic.
The Listener debuted on June 4th on NBC. Initially produced for Canadian networks, the drama revolves around a young paramedic (Craig Olejnik) who has the ability to hear other people’s thoughts. Through his job and abilities, he seeks to help those in need in any way he can.
Others in the cast include Lisa Marcos, Ennis Esmer, Mylene Robic, Arnold Pinnock, Anthony Lemke, Lara Jean Chorostecki, John Fleming, and Colm Feore.
On NBC, the show got off to a rocky start in the ratings. The two-hour premiere brought in 5.32 million viewers and just a 1.4/4 rating/share of the 18-49 demographic. Summer viewing expectations aren’t very high but it didn’t bode well that the program landed in third place in total viewers and the demo.
Things didn’t get any better for the later episodes. Last week, Listener’s numbers hit a series low with 3.3 million viewers and a tiny 0.7/2 rating in the demo. Even for Summer viewership, those numbers are quite poor for a major network.
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As a result, NBC has decided to end The Listener’s run prematurely. Next week’s episode will be the last to air on the peacock network and repeats of Law & Order will fill the timeslot after that.
The remaining five episodes of Listener are expected to be streamed online in August. The 13 episodes have already aired in many countries across the world and will continue to run in Canada.
Word is that the first season ends with plenty of unresolved mysteries. There’s been no news about the possibility of a second season for The Listener as yet but, if there is, you certainly won’t be seeing it on NBC.
What do you think? A good call by NBC or were you looking forward to seeing more?
Image courtesy NBC.
We loved the show!!!!!! My wife is an EMT, and we looked forward to new eppisodes I hope it gets picked upon another network!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That really ticked me off when I figured out NBC yanked The Listener off air. It’s so hard to find a good show like that. When I saw the first episode it was automatically my favorite show. NBC has totally got it wrong. I’m sure a very good reason not many people watch it is: 1)The timing, and that NBC almost never advertised the show, and 2)People record a lot of shows now. Even if people don’t catch it or record it, they might try to catch it when it’s uploaded onto the NBC website. I myself missed the first… Read more »
I loved this show and love shows similar like Medium and Ghost Whisperer. I am extremely ticked that they canceled this show… and on top of that they put Law & Order re-runs in place of it. Why not let those who did tune in at least see the rest of the season! There could have been plenty of reasons that the ratings were low just as a previous poster said.But… I am wondering.. nowadays a lot of people DVR/Tivo their favorite shows…Can the networks tell how many people are recording versus watching live as it airs? I am thinking… Read more »
The reason NBC is in such trouble that it starts shows when people aren’t expecting them, doesn’t give them a chance, or enough publicity, and then cancels them without warning and without wrapping up the storylines. Who wants to bother with a network which always ends up leaving viewers hanging. This was a great show but was introduced poorly to the viewers, may have been in the wrong time slot, as it was suitable for younger viewers, something rare these days, and deserved a chance.
I cannot believe you canceled The Listener…I actually accused my hubby of deleting from my DVR recordings!
i like the show and now its gone whats wrong with u guys stop taking the show s we like just like moolight what was wrong with that wake up and smell the coffee
What a bunch of jerks. first it was Journey man, bionic woman,Terminator and now listener. Come on guys. you are getting stats from the wrong places. These are good shows. Please do not kill Listener as we love the show.
NBC, I hate you! I am so sick and tired of new shows premiering and then being pulled off after only a few episodes. I swear you wouldn’t know a good thing if it hit you right between the eyes! Here’s an idea NBC, besides the show “Chuck”, why don’t you hire people that are actually YOUNG which is another reason why I liked “The Listener” to bad!
and L & O is so much more interesting because it’s the most unique show in the world, right?
I am so sick of the three major networks (NBC, CBS, and ABC) with new shows. They don’t even give people a chance to watch the entire season, but pulls shows off the air. I’m really hesitiant to watch anything these networks put out there that are new because sometimes you get attached and then its yanked off the tv.
Enough already…The only new show I will be watching will be Jay Leno……Other than that, NBC you lost another viewer
this is so cruel….i was sucked into the show from episode one….i will NOT watch this network anymore…..law and order is on to much as it is. I did enjoy yje show but can only take so much of one thing!!!
NBC has pissed me off! They have the moral courage of a dead mouse!!! I hope the reruns bring in .01 ratings so the listener–as bad as the idiot corporate boys thought the listener was–will be SEVEN Times better!!! I’m about ready to sell my flat screen and given up on TV completely—a massive waste of time, and this is proof that nobody cares about the audience–its all about ratings and this all about money. And stupidity, because we the audience deserve better stuff than the crap (and I mean most TV shows especially “reality” ones) they try to shove… Read more »
I loved this show and now its gone. Who wants to watch law and order over and over? They made another big mistake go figure. I will now go back to watching another station.
why would they pull this off early? I was really getting into this series and than nothing. How much law and order can one person watch? Now I turn to something else on another network.
I just spent the whole night watching The Listener on Hulu. I absolutely love the show! Why would NBC want to cancel it and leave so many devoted fans craving for more? Critic’s review means nothing I DVR-ed this show throughout the summer and now just as I can’t get enough and (plenty others I’m sure…) crave more adventures from Toby (Craig Olejnik) they pull the plug. It’s ridiculous because this is not the first show to go like this and it is pretty moronic. NBC should really think about what the viewer’s think before randomly cancelling a show. Probably… Read more »