When one network finds a format that works, the others tend to follow, and that’s what has happened this season with the shows that aren’t doing so hot in the ratings. Instead of prematurely canceling freshman programming, the networks have started cutting down on the episode orders of shows that aren’t doing all that well. This morning, we learned that NBC’s new comedy Truth Be Told just got its episode order trimmed from 13 episodes down to 10 episodes.
While that seems way better than actually getting a cancelation notice, the news really does not bode well for Truth Be Told. The brand new Friday night comedy hasn’t done well with audiences or critics thus far, and its ratings have been pretty rough, even noting the fact that the show airs in a tough Friday timeslot. The premiere episode of Truth Be Told was critically panned, but it also only saw 2.6 million total viewers tune in. The numbers dropped again this Friday and now Deadline reports the show will halt production as soon as Episode 10—which is currently being filmed—wraps up.
Honestly, despite the trend of lower episode orders, it’s still a little surprising that NBC didn’t just opt to pull the plug on Truth Be Told. Around this time last year, the network canceled both Bad Judge and A to Z without further ado, and both shows were doing similar ratings. If we look a little more deeply, the network does have a dearth of comedies on the air right now and keeping Truth Be Told in the lineup as a placeholder while the network figures out something else to air opposite Undateable isn’t the worst idea I’ve ever heard.
Truth Be Told isn’t the only show that has already seen its episode order cut this season. Minority Report over at Fox was the first to get the treatment a couple of weeks ago, after an episode of the drama only saw 2.3 million total viewers tune in. In the time that followed, NBC also cut the episode order for its new drama The Player and ABC knocked down its new drama Blood & Oil by a peg or two when it dropped down that show’s episode count. Something tells me that Truth Be Told may not be the last show to receive this sort of treatment during the 2015-2016 TV season. We’ll let you know if any other shows lose out.
In the meantime, you can still catch new episodes of Truth Be Told on Friday nights at 8:30 p.m. ET. In addition, you can see some other shows that are in danger of being cancelled, here.
