NBC schedules 'Awake' for Thursdays, bumping 'The Firm'
Low-rated legal drama moves to Saturdays
In one of two realities on "Awake," cop Jason Isaacs' wife dies in a car crash, but his son (Dylan Minnette) survives.
With "The Firm" tanking badly in the ratings in NBC's once-prized Thursday at 10 p.m. timeslot, the only question was exactly when NBC would pull it and whether it would be replaced by a pair of comedies ("Community" and "Bent," perhaps?) or by NBC's only unscheduled mid-season drama: "Awake." After "The Firm" pulled a pathetic 0.8 rating last night in the adults 18-49 demographic, it was finally decision time, and the answers are as follows:
* "Awake" will take over the Thursday at 10 timeslot starting Thursday, March 1.
* "The Firm" will move to a Burn-Off Theatre timeslot on Saturdays at 9 beginning February 11.
* Between now and the "Awake" premiere, NBC will air "Grimm" repeats on Thursday nights.
Had NBC made this decision a few weeks ago, they could conceivably have gotten "Awake" on the air as soon as next week, banking on promotion during the Super Bowl to get the word out. But at this point, the Super Bowl would essentially be the series' entire promotional campaign, and even with the expected audience, that's not enough.
"Awake" was created by Kyle Killen from "Lone Star," and stars Jason Isaacs as a cop who gets into a car crash with his wife (Laura Allen from "Terriers") and teenage son (Dylan Minnette), and finds himself living two lives at once: one where only his wife survived, and one where only his son did. As I've said before, it's the best network pilot I saw this season, though I'm not sure exactly how Killen and producer Howard Gordon ("Homeland") can make it work on a weekly basis. (Then again, I felt the same way about the second-best network pilot, ABC's "The River," and what I've seen of later episodes in advance of next week's premiere has been surprisingly reassuring.)
Considering the state of NBC in general and NBC in Thursday in particular, that 10 p.m. timeslot isn't the prize it used to be when "L.A. Law" and "ER" aired there, but the "Awake" pilot at least feels like a creatively worthy successor to those shows, "Hill Street Blues" and "Homicide."
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February 3, 2012 at 3:05PM EST Reply to CommentDamn it, why couldn't NBC have just left Prime Suspect alone? I have nothing against Awake, and I'm definitely curious about it, but doesn't letting a low-rated but good show (PS) continue make more sense than trying to force a low-rated and lame show (Firm) on us?
sepinwall Prime Suspect was dead. No one was watching, and the numbers were actually trending downward from a terrible start. They had high hopes for The Firm. They turned out to be completely misguided hopes, but they believed that the brand name, or Josh Lucas, or both, plus a big promo campaign during the NFL playoffs, would get them a significantly bigger audience than what Maria Bello and friends were getting.
February 3, 2012 at 3:09PM ESTwest coast ram I agree with you 100%. PS was a good show that needed some time to catch on. When will TV execs. realize that shows need a FULL season to determine if they will find an audiance.
February 3, 2012 at 3:36PM ESTHatfield As much as I really liked Prime Suspect, there's no real argument for keeping it on. Lots of times, good shows just die premature deaths. I actually think the final episode (guest starring Bubbles and Frank Sobotka!) worked as a finale, what with all of the characters getting serviced around the "Hit on Duffy" storyline, and the little grace note at the bar at the end. RIP, Prime Suspect.
February 3, 2012 at 6:19PM ESTSteve
February 3, 2012 at 3:10PM EST Reply to CommentThis is fantastic news, I've been wanting to see Awake since they released the promo ages ago. Now all that's left is for NBC to find a way to get Community back on the air.
Michael
February 3, 2012 at 3:12PM EST Reply to CommentBeen waiting for a premiere date for a while. It does seem like a concept that wouldn't work in the long term, but then we said the same thing about Gordon's other recent show, and that seems to have turned out all right.
Not entirely confident about it's chances, though. That 10:00 Thursday timeslot hasn't done well for NBC, and this doesn't seem like a show that the mass population will flock towards. But I hope they give it a chance; between this and Smash, NBC's got some really interesting stuff coming up.
Kyu
February 3, 2012 at 3:15PM EST Reply to CommentWhy is it critics always say "I don't know how they could turn this great pilot into a show"? Have they no imagination? Has there ever been a show with a fantastic pilot followed by 12 episodes of non-story? Surely writers think of a show first, then use the pilot as a way to introduce it, not the other way around.
M Clearly you never saw "The Nine."
February 3, 2012 at 3:17PM ESTsepinwall Thanks, M.
February 3, 2012 at 3:28PM EST"The Nine" is one of many, many, MANY shows where the pilot was far and away the best episode, in part because what made the pilot good was unsustainable on a weekly basis.
I'm not saying it's impossible that "Awake" the series will be good. I'm hoping it will be. As mentioned above, I was equally skeptical about "The River" and have, with what I've seen since, been proven wrong.
But you do this long enough, and you can spot certain pilots that seem harder to replicate than others. It's not just the concept of "Awake," but the execution of it, the balance of the two timelines, the tone, the way the two cases Isaacs investigates relate to one another, etc.
Greg There's also Damages. I watched the entire first season and only enjoyed the pilot. I don't understand how that's still on the air.
February 3, 2012 at 3:32PM ESTOliver Studio 60 was another show with a great pilot that went nowhere.
February 3, 2012 at 4:13PM ESTmrbilliam Was I the only one who thought that Studio 60's pilot was only ok? I remember it having a memorable first scene and then lots of predictable piece-moving to establish the premise.
February 3, 2012 at 4:41PM ESTJason Potapoff Boomtown was another show whose series didn't live up to a great pilot because they couldn't sustain the concept past a couple of episodes.
February 3, 2012 at 5:05PM ESTJon Weisman
February 3, 2012 at 3:18PM EST Reply to CommentI didn't see anything in the Awake pilot, which I also thought was the best of 2011, that made me think it didn't have enough plot to sustain itself. Two wide-open universes to play with, and s
Jon Weisman and strong characters at Killen's disposal.
February 3, 2012 at 3:18PM ESTInterrogation Bear
February 3, 2012 at 3:27PM EST Reply to CommentWell, at least sweeps will be over and the competition in reruns for several weeks during March and April. Could be worse.
Liz Yep. Repeats will help for the first few weeks.
February 3, 2012 at 3:50PM ESTGreg
February 3, 2012 at 3:28PM EST Reply to CommentI think we would be safer to place Community there (even if it does dredful numbers), but I understand that they have to try everything they have before bringing Community back
Greg I meant "it" would be safer, instead of "we".
February 3, 2012 at 3:29PM ESTStephen
February 3, 2012 at 3:31PM EST Reply to CommentSo what's the logic in putting Awake there instead of Community & Bent/BFF? Because I really don't see it beyond "let's fuck the Community fans a little harder".
Stephen oh and also, "lets just pretty much kill Awake before it even airs."
February 3, 2012 at 3:36PM ESTalynch Not sure I follow your logic. So they're killing Awake by airing it there, but they're also also fucking Community fans by not airing it there? If you think the slot is a showkiller, wouldn't you prefer that Community not go there?
February 3, 2012 at 4:07PM ESTStephen @Alynch Every drama NBC has put in that slot has failed and there's no reason to think that that's going to change this time around. Awake could very likely go almost as low as The Firm. You put Community there, however, and you have a show with an already devoted audience that's all but guaranteed to do much better than The Firm.
February 3, 2012 at 4:14PM ESTVaughn
February 3, 2012 at 3:37PM EST Reply to CommentWhen good shows happen to bad networks. Episode 182: Awake.
So sad that this is 100%, absolutely, definitely going to be a one-season wonder. I haven't seen as much TV as Alan as I am so much his junior, but I can spot a cancellation a mile off. So sad, because this was the show I've been most looking forward to for the last year (along with The River).
Liz
February 3, 2012 at 3:48PM EST Reply to CommentIf I may play network scheduler for a moment...
I think Awake would have been better off on Tuesdays at 10. Parenthood is ending early (which is stupid, but that's another topic), and NBC is replacing it with some kind of Project Runway clone. The timeslot is pretty weak (young viewers-wise), so Awake would have had a better shot there, and with a better lead-in (The Biggest Loser). The fashion show could have been on Thursdays as cheap canon fodder against somewhat stiffer competition.
Admittedly, my view is probably being colored by the fact that I'm looking forward to Awake more, but I really think that would have made more sense all around.
Apolonia Tuesdays at ten: Justified----White Collar----Southland. These are all really good IMHO. .........most crowded ten o'clock hour of the week. Thank goodness for the repeat viewings on cable. Am glad that Awake will be on Thursday!
February 3, 2012 at 4:02PM ESTInterrogation Bear Tuesday 10pm is already crowded with shows like "Justified" and "Southland". I guess Awake is aiming for a similar audience.
February 3, 2012 at 4:05PM ESTLiz But those are all on cable, and their audiences don't compare to anything on broadcast. Even a flop like Body of Proof outrates them significantly. I'm certainly not trying to denigrate their quality; Justified is pretty much my favorite show, and I enjoy White Collar as well. But Even with those shows in the mix, Tuesday is still a lighter spot for Awake, competition-wise.
February 3, 2012 at 7:22PM EST(And even if we were counting cable, Jersey Shore destroys *everything* on broadcast Thursdays at 10. So that makes that Thursday timeslot even more difficult.)
Lee
February 3, 2012 at 4:17PM EST Reply to CommentAs far as Community and Bent are concerned, I don't suppose there's any chance NBC dumps Whitney and Chelsea and puts them in their time slots? Please?
Stephen I'm betting that's what is going to happen, although I don't think NBC will dump them in the middle of the season but just let them air the rest of their episodes and then replace Chelsea first with Community and then Whitney with Bent. It's a better spot than Community used to have but it's far from ideal going up against Idol, Suburgatory and Survivor. Plus, the more the hiatus is extended the more I expect it to hurt the show's ratings.
February 3, 2012 at 4:20PM ESTJared K Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea certainly aren’t doing great in their Wednesday slot, but unfortunately I don’t know if they’re falling fast enough that NBC will yank them before the season ends. (Are You There Chelsea is actually building on its Whitney lead in. Not by much, but still). At this point, my best guess would be trying out Community and Bent/BFFs at Wednesdays at 9 PM, replacing Rock Center with Brian Williams. Cheap as that show probably is for NBC, I doubt that it will pull much bigger numbers than it did on Monday night in the more competitive 9 PM hour, and it probably won’t do much better than the atrocious numbers Harry’s Law pulled there. And since the show’s unscripted, they can bring it back as a utility player as needed (ala Dateline) without the stigma of canceling a program hosted by their most popular news anchor.
February 3, 2012 at 4:31PM ESTIf that doesn’t happen, Tuesdays at 10 PM is a possibility. There’s a chance Fashion Star could bomb, even with relatively compatible Biggest Loser as its lead in - that show looks terrible. Going up against cable’s biggest hour (Justified, Southland, White Collar, etc.) wouldn’t help things, but Body of Proof and Unforgettable certainly aren’t setting the world on fire. (BoP is actually ending early so that Private Practice can try its luck away from Grey’s Anatomy in April).
Failing that, Community might be heading for Fridays or a slot filler replacing repeats of NBC’s Thursday night comedies at random intervals, with Bent and BFFs getting pushed to the summer. God, that would suck.
John
February 3, 2012 at 4:19PM EST Reply to CommentI think a lot of Awake's success/failure will depend on how well the "Smash" rollout goes, and if Greenblatt decides to do the cable-style early viewing of the pilot again (which has already worked a bit for "Grimm" and will probably result in a decent "Smash" debut).
alynch I wouldn't be at all shocked if the Awake pilot turns up online in the next week or so.
February 3, 2012 at 5:27PM ESTJared K
February 3, 2012 at 4:19PM EST Reply to CommentI'm so glad that Awake is finally going to air. Since upfronts back in May, this has been my most anticipated new show by far and I was starting to worry that NBC was going to be too gun-shy to schedule it at all. Sure, the timeslot could be better, given NBC's bad-even-for-them track record on Thursdays at 10 PM these past few years, but honestly, it’s about as good as we had any right to expect. The original rumor was that it was going to take the Tuesday 10 PM slot after Parenthood ended its run, but the audience for The Biggest Loser really didn’t seem like the type that would carry over in large percentages for a serialized, angst-ridden, sci-fi drama. The lack of extensive Super Bowl promotion is irritating, but February sweeps should help draw at least a few more eyeballs to the promos, so it’s better than nothing.
I don’t have high hopes that this show will get good ratings. Something in the Parenthood/Grimm range is probably the most it can hope for (Of course, on NBC, that would get it renewed in a heartbeat). Nevertheless, even if it does Prime Suspect numbers, I really hope that NBC will allow it to run for its full twelve-episode order (At this point, the only options they would have to replace it would be a Community + Bent/BFFs block, or doing something like trying Grimm out on Thursdays (which they already gave a trial run to - it got the same ratings as when it aired on Friday). Everything I’ve read about the series in interviews suggests that there is a plan, and from what Kyle Killen said on Twitter, it sounds like he wrote a finale that can serve as a series ender if need be. So at the very least, we could have a one-season gem on our hands like Terriers or Kings.
Chrissy
February 3, 2012 at 6:40PM EST Reply to CommentI'm really pleased this show has an air date (and also excited that you are enjoying The River). I wonder why all of the intriguing new shows are mid-season replacements this year (these two, Smash, Apartment 23). Was it that long ago that mid-season replacement was a dirty word?
Stann 1971 All in the Family
February 3, 2012 at 10:28PM EST1981 Hill Street Blues
1990 Simpsons, America's Funniest Home Videos
2005 The Office, Grey's Anatomy
When was it a dirty word?
David
February 3, 2012 at 7:53PM EST Reply to Commentand you wonder why NBC is doing so badly.
Otto Man No, no one wonders why. The reasons are pretty obvious.
February 5, 2012 at 12:17PM ESTJedyKnight
February 3, 2012 at 10:34PM EST Reply to Commentim starting to think NBC is like a cancer-ridden body that quickly infects any new organ that is placed on it.. which is a tragedy since not only the body isnt getting any closer to health and all those healthy organs been doomed from the start.. i really hope Smash can somehow help.
(ps i like Smash, i dont love it, but i dont wish NBC to give up either)
kronicfatigue
February 4, 2012 at 2:31PM EST Reply to Comment1st seasons of potentially good shows should be fully available for streaming after they air. It's absolutely crazy that NBC is forced to run reruns of Grimm because Awake hasn't had enough time for promotion. Instead, they should air Awake, accept the fact that it will have lower ratings, and offer advertisers a discount w/ online commercials. Let the word of mouth grow, and have people catch up online.
I can't even tell you how many shows I've passed on b/c I couldn't catch up online. Someone telling me, halfway through a season, that a show is worth watching is WORTHLESS to me if I don't have access to all the episodes.
Jack
February 7, 2012 at 11:14PM EST Reply to CommentSeems like Life On Mars to me...