Chalk it up to another failed Canadian co-production. NBC has announced that effective immediately it is pushing The Firm to Saturday nights, hammering the nail in the coffin for the freshman Global/NBC series.
For now, reruns of the successful Friday night series Grimm will air in The Firm’s place, but beginning March 1 NBC is calling in midseason entry Awake from Lone Star creator Kyle Killen.
Awake stars Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, Brotherhood) as a man who wakes up from an accident and can’t figure out which reality he’s actually living — one where his wife is still alive, or another where it’s his son who survived the crash.
Global’s latest release indicated that The Firm — a take on John Grisham’s successful novel, would continue to air in its Thursday night timeslot, although the network could not confirm at time of press its future plans for the series. Awake does not currently have a Canadian broadcaster.
The Firm had a strong debut in Canada pulling in 1.1 million viewers in its initial two-hour offering, but has since tapered off and out of the national Top 30. In the U.S. the series had a weak debut with only 6.32 million viewers tuning in. Since then the show has fallen to half that, with the Feb. 2 instalment only garnering 2.97 million viewers.
The translation? The Firm will not be renewed on NBC or on Global. To compare, last summer Global gambled with ABC on the presentation of Combat Hospital, but while the show catapulted in the ratings and was one of the most successful series in Canada, it flopped on ABC and was subsequently cancelled on both networks due to high production costs. The Firm doesn't stand a chance.
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