NBC Swaps Out "Firm" for "Awake"

The underperforming legal drama sequel to the 1993 movie, based on the John Grisham novel, will find itself in the 9pm slot on Saturdays starting February 11.

If not for the incredibly low licensing fee for the series, NBC might have already cancelled the show.  According to Reuters, Sony and Entertainment One sold "The Firm" to international networks, "to cover almost the entire cost of production before they sold it to NBC.  That means that NBC pays a much lower licensing fee for the series to air."

The show isn't expected to do any better in "Saturday-night TV's no-man's land," which may lead to it being cancelled in the near future.

The Thursday slot will be taken by the upcoming Sci-Fi drama "Awake," which is set to air March 1.  Until then, NBC will air reruns of the fantasy series "Grimm."

"Awake" stars Jason Issacs (Harry Potter, The Patriot) as a detective leading a double life--in two different realities.  

Unique Production Means The Firm Won't Get Cancelled

This article talks about the different approach taken when deciding to make The Firm. Instead of the traditional production, the rights were sold overseas early and guaranteed a full 22 episode season. Regardless of ratings or reviews The Firm will get its first full season made, the second season is not a sure thing though.

Firm Closing?

For this class I was assigned to watch The Firm on NBC. The funny thing is, I had never heard of the program. I watch a whole lot of NBC, but mostly through places like Hulu. It had me wondering, why had I never heard of this NBC program.

Apparently I wasn't alone. The show opened up to terrible viewership, with the article stating “ The Firm averaged a flaccid 1.4 rating, which appears to be the lowest Nielsen premier rating ever for an NBC drama during the regular season.”

I for one am going to associate that with a poor marketing campaign.

According to the article, “NBC didn’t put a lot of off-network promotion muscle behind this show.” In the end, this strategy likely killed them.

In a digital age, it appears as if the program failed to capitalize on what guarantees initial success.

Will they bounce back, or is the show already a dead man walking?

The Firm's Sunday Night Premiere Intercepted by Playoffs

"The Firm" premiered on Sunday night and did not meet the previous years viewing ratings. The viewing ratings were almost cut in half compared to NBC's "The Cape" which also did a special Sunday night premiere exactly one year ago. This article from Variety breaks down who got the most attention from viewers and from the looks of it CBS' Broncos vs Steelers game takes the cake peaking with over 4o million viewers.

First Impressions of The Firm

This article from Entertainment Weekly gives first impressions of The Firm after its premiere last night on NBC

The Firm Official Website

This is the official website for NBC's The Firm. Its typeface and imagery has a consistent aesthetic of shadowy grey marble. And it instantly conveys that the show's general theme is a man being hunted by corrupt bad guys in Washington D.C. The featurette videos let people know that John Grisham is actually affiliated with the show, which could establish some credibility for fans of the book. Based on the website alone, does it compel you to watch? Or does the brand seem too one-dimensional?