‘Notorious’ Order Cut To 10 Episodes By ABC
So it starts. After the back series orders for the strongest new fall series, the networks are starting to address the bubble freshman shows. First off, ABC’s Notorious, whose 13-episode order has been trimmed to 10.
This is not an outright cancellation as Notorious will remain on the air, and the network plans to air all 10 produced episodes. But, following a slow ratings start and mostly negative reviews, this is not a good sign for the new drama. Virtually no series whose initial order has been reduced has lived to see a second-season renewal.
While aided by respectable time-shifted viewing bumps, Notorious has been the weakest link in ABC’s semi-TGIT lineup, squandering a large portion of its sizable Grey’s Anatomy lead-in. After a soft debut with a 1.1 in adults 18-49 (Live+same day), Notorious has stayed in the 0.8-0.9 rating range for the past 3 weeks, also pushing down How To Get Away with Murder at 10 PM.
For the most recent week of Live+7 data, Notorious added a +0.7 demo rating point, or +88% to go from a 0.8 (L+SD) to a 1.5 in 18-49. That was a solid percentage increase off a small base. For comparison, the other two ABC Thursday dramas went up to a 3.7 (Grey’s, +76%) and 2.4 (HTGAWM, +118%).
Notorious, from Sony TV and ABC Studios, is inspired by the true-life stories of famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and cable news producer Wendy Walker, who serve as executive produced the series. Written by Josh Berman and Allie Hagan and starring Piper Perabo and Daniel Sunjata, the show is a provocative look at the dangerous interplay of criminal law and the media.
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