Results from the broadcast network’s fall TV season are coming in, with another big success story as well as two more failures. CBS has ordered a full, 22-episode season of Limitless while NBC is cutting back on its order for The Player and ABC is trimming down Blood and Oil.
Limitless, starring Jake McDorman, is the first new show at CBS to get the full season pick-up. The ratings are slowly dipping, but it’s still a solid performer on Tuesday nights following the pair of NCIS and NCIS: New Orleans. Oddly, it’s almost one year to the day after ABC cancelled another Jake McDorman series, Manhattan Love Story. In addition, CBS has ordered six additional scripts for another new drama, Code Black, a decent sign for its prospects.
Meanwhile, NBC is essentially cancelling Thursday-night drama The Player, starring Wesley Snipes, by reducing its order from 13 episodes down to nine. Five episodes have already aired, though it’s stalled at around 4 million viewers. The remaining four episodes will presumably continue to air Thursdays at 10pm before the show most likely disappears forever.
As for ABC’s Blood and Oil, ABC has cut its order from 13 episodes down to 10. The show has been a weak link on ABC’s Sunday night line-up between Once Upon a Time and Quantico.
Limitless joins NBC’s Blindspot, FOX’s Rosewood and ABC’s Quantico and Dr. Ken as the first five new shows of the Fall 2015 season to receive full-season orders. The Player and Blood and Oil join FOX’s Minority Report in having a reduced episode order, effectively cancelling all three.
Code Black joins several other shows like the CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and FOX comedies Grandfathered and The Grinder to have additional episodes ordered without a full-season commitment. This basically means that all of the fall’s new dramas have been judged, with the exception of shows that have yet to premiere like Supergirl, Wicked City and Chicago Med. The verdict is still out on a trio of new comedies: ABC’s The Muppets, CBS comedy Life in Pieces and NBC’s Truth Be Told.
(Image courtesy of CBS)
Senior Writer, BuddyTV
John watches nearly every show on TV, but he specializes in sci-fi/fantasy like The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural and True Blood. However, he can also be found writing about everything from Survivor and Glee to One Tree Hill and Smallville.
