Prime Suspect Gets Cut From the NBC Lineup

Credit: Zap2It

NBC drops Prime Suspect

Prime Suspect aired what are most likely the show’s final two episodes Sunday night (Jan. 22). NBC announced back in November that production would halt on “Prime Suspect” and its timeslot on Thursday nights would be taken over by “The Firm” in January. The NBC execs did not say it was canceled, however. They said they would reevaluate after the show had aired its 13 episodes (and presumably after they could see how The Firm did).

While receiving generally good reviews from critics, Suspect only averaged 4.72 million viewers over its first 11 episodes and if you take out the premiere episode, that average falls to 4.59. Unfortunately for NBC, “The Firm” has been in the same ballpark, averaging 4.66 million over four episodes.

Which means no one really knows the fate of either show, but neither one became the hit NBC was probably hoping they would become.

This is most likely the last we will see of Maria Bello and the fedora fighting crimes on the streets of New York. NBC executives remarked at winter press tour that if this show had been on Showtime, it would have been renewed after two episodes and been declared a hit.

We aren’t sure they should have even tried to remake the successful British series starring Helen Mirren. We enjoyed “Prime Suspect,” but it wasn’t ground-breaking, nor did it become appointment viewing.

How do you feel about the wrap-up? Did you feel the series was able to come to at least a somewhat satisfactory conclusion? And will you miss “Prime Suspect” if it doesn’t come back?

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