With a couple of weeks left until final decisions are made on the new fall lineup, NBC just announced five early renewals for the next TV season: Revolution, Chicago Fire, Parenthood, Grimm and Law & Order: SVU.
None were surprises at this point. Revolution may not be as strong now as it was when it debuted, but it’s still a notable success for the ratings-starved NBC these days, and the number 1 new drama on any network this year. While The Voice may provide a huge lead in that boosts those numbers, you only need to look at the disaster that was Ready for Love to see that people won’t just keep watching anything NBC schedules after The Voice.
SVU is of course an institution at this point, while Parenthood has been the little show that could for NBC, getting rave reviews and a small but sturdy fanbase. Grimm, which is about to make a move to a post-Voice timeslot on Tuesdays, has done notably well for NBC the past two years in a difficult Friday timeslot, while Chicago Fire was the one other drama NBC launched this year that was a clear success.
“On the verge of our 2013 fall scheduling decisions, we’re pleased to renew five drama series that will be important to our new season line-up,” said Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment. “We’re proud and very appreciative of all of the actors, producers, writers and directors who work so hard to deliver such high-quality work week in and week out. These complex shows represent a broad range of genres and tones, and all of them stand out for us in a television landscape now filled with one-hour series. We’re especially pleased to be renewing Revolution and Chicago Fire — two first-season successes — and there will be more returning series announcements made in the next couple of weeks.”
Keep in mind this doesn’t mean NBC is done making renewals. More shows will no doubt be returning. There is no way they cancel every single comedy they currently have and Parks and Recreation’s renewal seems assured (it's the highest-rated comedy they'll have left, with The Office ending), with perennial bubble show Community and freshmen series Go On and The New Normal all possibilities to return as well. No, none of these shows get what would be considered “good” ratings, but NBC has had such huge struggles of late, their barometer is much different than in the past.
Following these five new renewals, on the drama side, it’s safe to assume Deception and the Saturday-banished Smash are done at NBC, but the big question mark is Hannibal. That show has had rave reviews, but the ratings have slipped in its third and fourth episode - last night's fourth episode got a depressingly low 1.0 rating and in the past, the numbers at this point would mean certain cancellation. But once again, NBC’s current situation, plus Hannibal’s international co-production status (which means it’s not nearly as expensive for NBC) could help it get a renewal. Fingers crossed, my fellow fans…
Source : ign[dot]com
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