Bluff City Law: NBC Series to End After Initial Order
Paul Dailly
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NBC is not extending its time in the city of Memphis.
The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that the Peacock network has capped Bluff City Law Season 1 at ten episodes.
Ahead of the show's September premiere, the network had placed an order for six additional scripts, an early vote of confidence in the new drama.
However, the ratings have not been strong enough for the show to maintain the plum post-The Voice slot into the spring.
The series launched with 4.6 million total viewers and a 0.8 rating in the demo, and the numbers have dropped every week since.
Monday's episode garnered just 3.4 million viewers and a 0.5 rating in the demo. More worrying, the series is holding just over 30% of the healthy lead-in from The Voice.
With delayed viewing factored in the premiere surged to 7.4 million viewers and a 1.1 rating.
The series is coming in well below what Manifest had in the slot last fall, so the ratings have been a cause for concern from the get-go.
THR notes that NBC has not canceled the series and that it remains in contention for a renewal, but given the diminishing returns in live+same day ratings, it's hard to imagine it getting a renewal for Season 2.
The decision comes following NBC's decision to pull Sunnyside from the air, cancel it and move the remaining episodes online.
Many networks have been struggling in the ratings since the launch of the new season, but NBC appears to be making big decisions early on as it attempts to reignite the ratings in midseason.
Related: Bluff City Law Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Fire in a Crowded Theater
The only new fall show to date to garner a backorder is FOX's Prodigal Son, a series that is performing well both on-air and with delayed viewing factored in.
Despite the future looking bleak, the production company for Bluff City Law is keeping the sets intact in Memphis, Tennessee, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Bluff City Law follows the lawyers of an elite Memphis law firm that specializes in the most controversial landmark civil rights cases, led by legendary lawyer Elijah Strait (played by Jimmy Smits) and his brilliant daughter, Sydney.
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Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
