CANCELLATION ALERT: Prime Suspect

Another swing and miss in a terrible fall for NBC has resulted in another cancellation. NBC's high profile reboot of the classic 1980s series Prime Suspect was effectively cancelled today according to people involved with the show, though nothing official has come from NBC. It was rumored yesterday when Suspect was not on the spring schedule released by the peacock network and today it was confirmed that production is shutting down after 13 episodes.

Prime Suspect was NBC's big return to drama in the Thursday 10pm slot that has housed Hill Street Blues, LA Law, and ER. But it debuted with a very underwhelming 6.1 million viewers and 1.8 demo. NBC tried very hard to make this show work including a run of every episode so far in the 10pm slot for a week in October, but that did not help and the show has barely been a blip on the demo radar. Through 7 episodes, the show has averaged a weak 5 million viewers and a 1.4 demo. It will probably air through January though as it will have 6 episodes in the can.

For NBC, it is another flop in the fall joining fellow new series The Playboy Club and Free Agents on the cancellation list. Other new shows Whitney, Up All Night, Grimm, and Rock Center have been either underwhelming or terrible in the ratings. NBC released a new midseason schedule yesterday that included the debuts of Smash, Fashion Star, The Firm, and Are You There Chelsea? as well as the return of The Voice, 30 Rock, Who Do You Think You Are? and Celebrity Apprentice and timeslot changes for Rock Center, Harry's Law, Whitney, and Up All Night. NBC might see some improvement, but not much can be expected because everything NBC touches seems to turn to coal.

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