This fall season has proven to be disappointing for all of the Big Four television networks (NBC, Fox, ABC and CBS), with more soft landings than certifiable hits, and in that type of environment, even simple consistency in the ratings can sustain a series. Such is the case with NBC’s The Mysteries of Laura, a modest success for the Peacock Network that holds the distinction of being the only new series with ratings that have stayed within .2 of its regular time slot premiere. With a seemingly solid fanbase established, NBC has gone ahead and given The Mysteries of Laura a back-nine order, bringing its first season to a full 22 episodes.
Debra Messing leads the police dramedy, starring as a single-mom NYPD detective who juggles solving cases with controlling her wild twin sons and competing with her police detective ex-husband.
Though reviews for the series have been less than positive, with many pundits nominating it as the first show that would be canceled this season based on its weak pilot and difficult Wednesday 8 p.m. time slot, The Mysteries of Laura has shown unexpected strength in the ratings. After premiering to 10.4 million total viewers and a 2.1 rating for adults under 50, the series has been mostly steady for NBC. Averaging its first six episodes, The Mysteries of Laura has won a 1.8 rating in the demo and a 10.4 million total audience haul.
News isn’t as good for NBC’s other new series. Comedies A to Z and Bad Judge have been shedding viewers quickly, while the more high-profile Marry Me hasn’t been particularly impressive given that it has The Voice as a lead-in. Marry Me‘s companion, sophomore About A Boy, isn’t wowing execs either. In fact, The Mysteries of Laura has been the only full season order for NBC so far – the network did order three additional scripts for anticipated comic book adaptation Constantine ahead of its debut, but that series did so-so in its premiere with a 1.4 rating in the key demo and 4.3 million viewers (though to be fair, NBC did put the freshman show in the Friday death slot, and it also had the World Series to contend with in its first week, so any exec worth their salt would give Constantine much more time to prove itself).
Tell us, do you watch The Mysteries of Laura? If so, are you happy about this news?
Published: Oct 30, 2014 09:03 am