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NBC continued to solidify its lineup for the 2014-15 broadcast season, axing drama Revolution after two seasons and canceling freshmen Believe and Growing Up Fisher.
Hardly the ratings heavyweight it was early in its first season, Revolution made up for its softer numbers with remarkable consistency and handsome DVR growth. The sophomore season of the J.J. Abrams-produced Warner Bros. Television drama has averaged a 1.4 rating in the key demo in live-plus-same-day viewing and improved to a 2.4 rating after seven days.
PHOTOS: Broadcast TV’s New 2014-15 Shows
Time-shifting also has the series averaging 7.5 million viewers. Many chalked up the season-two drops as a result of losing its Voice lead-in, but Revolution ended its first year on a softer note despite the generous pairing with NBC’s top show. The Blacklist, which scored NBC’s first renewal for the 2014-15 season back in December, has proven to be a much stronger performer.
The news comes as NBC has picked up DC Comics-themed Hellblazer drama Constantine to series. It joins dramas Odyssey, Constantine, Mysteries of Laura and Allegiance at the network.
PHOTOS: Broadcast TV’s Returning Shows 2014-15
For Abrams, meanwhile, Revolution‘s cancellation comes a week after Fox canceled his Almost Human after one season. The prolific producer still has CBS’ already renewed Person of Interest and NBC’s bubble drama Believe in contention.
Things were not looking good for either limited efforts Crisis or Believe at the start of the May sweep. NBC decided early on to pull the pair of dramas from their Sunday slots, despite relatively steady performances. The J.J. Abrams-backed Believe got a solid sampling with a Monday premiere after The Voice, though nowhere near up to snuff with Blacklist numbers, and quickly settled on Sunday. Season-to-date, the Alfonso Cuaron-produced series from Warner Bros. Television is averaging a 2.0 rating in the key demo. (That’s with DVR boosts and the Monday debut.) It has also had the unfortunate distinction of facing off against one of midseason’s lone hits: ABC’s Resurrection. The rival drama, similarly supernatural, has owned the hour since its March launch. Creatively, the drama stumbled to find its footing early on, changing showrunners three times before its debut.
Rand Ravich‘s Crisis has been posting a somewhat more modest 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 7 million viewers in the incredibly unforgiving hour of 10 p.m. on Sundays. Neither Believe nor Crisis has been much of a success with critics, though 20th Century Fox TV’s Crisis did garner several favorable reviews.
As for Growing Up Fisher — the 1990s-set family comedy starring J.K. Simmons as a blind dad — like About a Boy, it has largely benefited from its proximity to The Voice as part of NBC’s Tuesday-night lineup, though not as well. The comedy from D.J. Nash (Up All Night) and Universal Television has averaged a 1.7 among adults under 50, better than the already renewed Parks and Recreation and perennial bubble show Community.
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