NBC’s freshman spy drama Allegiance has been axed as part of the network’s reworked Thursday night schedule. Since debuting in February, the show has suffered from low ratings across its first five episodes, leading to its confirmed cancellation.
The show starred Hope Davis, Scott Cohen and David Stenhouse, and followed a CIA analyst whose parents were members of a Russian sleeper cell. Even scoring the prime 10PM slot following The Blacklist couldn’t save the rookie drama from poor audience numbers. Its final episode broadcast on Thursday was the final nail in its coffin, hitting way below its lacklustre premiere, which snagged only 5 million viewers.
One show’s loss is another’s gain, however, as NBC has decided to shift another lagging property into that choice time slot. The network’s high-profile limited miniseries The Slap has now nabbed the vacant space on the Thursday schedule. Based on the Australian show of the same name, it stars Peter Sarsgaard, Uma Thurman and Thandie Newton, and explores how one tight-knit family becomes unraveled following an unexpected happening at a birthday party.
Previously broadcast at 7/8c, the adaptation has suffered similar ratings issues since it arrived on our screens last month. Its starry cast and the network’s leap into event-style programming are thought to be key reasons for the show inheriting such a prime position.
NBC’s new schedule will roll out on Thursday March 12th, with The Slap now set to air at 10pm.
