The New Normal, as you’ve probably heard, revolves around a pair of gay men (Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells) who want to start a family. They hire a surrogate (Georgia King) who helps them fulfill their dream, while they help her realize her own. The sitcom also stars Ellen Barkin, NeNe Leakes, Bebe Wood, and Jayson Blair.
With strong lead-in support from The Voice, The New Normal debuted on September 10th to a 2.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 6.88 million. The pilot had already been released online so that may have tempered television viewership for the debut.
The following night, NBC aired the second episode and the ratings held steady. Considering the state of the rest of NBC’s sitcoms, a 2.5 demo rating was very good.
Unfortunately, that didn’t last. The sitcom’s ratings declined over the next several weeks. And, once The Voice completed its fall season, New Normal’s numbers really collapsed. Two weeks ago, the series reached a new low — registering a meager 0.7 in the demo and just 2.11 million viewers.
Last week, thanks to the return of The Voice, New Normal’s ratings bounced up 86% to a 1.3 in the demo with 3.32 million. Though the percentage gain is impressive, the show’s ratings are still terrible — even by NBC standards.
Though NBC has few bright spots on its schedule, its clear that the peacock network has no ratings incentive to renew The New Normal for a second season. Thankfully, the cast and crew seem to have given the sitcom’s storylines some sense of closure in tonight’s finale.
What do you think? Would you like to see The New Normal return for a second season or should NBC cancel it to make way for something new?
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