Following NBC’s brutal wave of cancellations, an NBC executive is giving a reason.
On Friday, the network canceled Suits LA, Found, The Irrational, Night Court, and Lopez vs Lopez in a surprising turn.
While a few of those were previously reported to be in serious danger of cancellation, it was still shocking. On Saturday, NBCUniversal’s President of Program Planning Strategy, Jeff Bader, told reporters during a press conference via Deadline that “it’s so hard to talk about shows and which ones we’re bringing back.”
“We had to look at the performance of the shows, both on linear and on digital,” he continued. “We had to see the ones that looked like they had growth potential in the future. We’re looking at how stable they are in their linear performance, how stable they are on digital, which ones are growing, which ones are declining. And we had to make some hard decisions.”
There were apparently discussions about having the shows on Peacock, like Law & Order: Organized Crime, but Bader said none are “set to make the transition.” That being said, lone wolf Grosse Pointe Garden Society is still being considered for streaming, but if it doesn’t move to Peacock, then it more than likely won’t get a second season.
Found might be one of the more surprising cancellations, as it was previously reported that a renewal was likely. However, along with performance and growth potential, with the NBA airing on NBC on Tuesdays in the fall, that also meant that the network probably had to cancel more shows than usual with a full night off the table. As for Suits LA, Bader said the series couldn’t bring in the audience they wanted.
At the very least, Found and Night Court could still be shopped around by studio Warner Bros. Television in the hopes of finding new homes. Whether that will actually happen remains to be seen, but fans can still have a little bit of hope that this won’t be the end for two shows. The Irrational, Night Court, and Lopez vs Lopez have all rounded out their final seasons. Found is set to air its finale on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET, while Suits LA will come to an end on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET. All five shows are streaming on Peacock.