Articles

December 3, 2013
 

THE SKED: “The Blacklist” Stays NBC’s Most Wanted

 

NBC has little enough to brag about these days, so it’s understandable that the network would want to claim victory for its breakout drama THE BLACKLIST as quickly as possible.  There’s no practical benefit in renewing a series in December for the following fall, but after last night’s extremely impressive fall finale showing, with a preliminary 3.5 rating that matched its The Voice lead-in–even if it comes down a bit in post-football adjustment, it’ll still be a notable accomplishment–the Peacock preened its feathers by giving Blacklist the first Season 2 renewal of a new full-season 2013-14 series.  (FOX earlier renewed Sleepy Hollow, but that show runs only in the fall.)  Considering that Revolution earned a Season 2 pick-up with less positive results (and let’s not even mention the renewal for Smash), a second season for Blacklist was inevitable.  The next question will be whether Blacklist is strong enough to thrive without its Voice lead-in, which its predecessors haven’t been able to do.  We’ll know much more about that in just a few weeks, when Blacklist airs in January with only American Ninja Warrior as support.

Next Season 2 pick-up?  If Agents of SHIELD can hold its recent numbers for a few more episodes, ABC and parent Disney are so invested in the Marvel universe that they may rush a renewal, even though that show is considerably less sturdy so far than Blacklist.



About the Author

Mitch Salem
MITCH SALEM has worked on the business side of the entertainment industry for 20 years, as a senior business affairs executive and attorney for such companies as NBC, ABC, USA, Syfy, Bravo, and BermanBraun Productions, and before that, at the NY law firm of Weil, Gotshal & Manges. During all that, he has more or less constantly been going to the movies and watching TV, and writing about both since the 1980s. His film reviews also currently appear on screened.com and the-burg.com. In addition, he is co-writer of an episode of the television series "Felicity."