[Updated]
The tarpits of La Brea are not sunk yet as NBC has given the greenlight to a third season of its prehistoric drama. That one performed well in its first season, ending the year in the Top 30 broadcast network shows based on same-day viewing in the 18-49 demographic, and it improved with delayed viewing. Its numbers have dropped in its second season, slipping out of the Top 30 at the end of Fall, but it continues to see decent gains from delayed viewing. The renewal was not expected for the show, and I was on the verge of moving it to Bubble status depending on how it performed with its return from hiatus. But according to Deadline, NBC wanted to get a jump on production because of a looming strike that could bring all production to a halt.
When I first put up this post I suggested that the third season could be the show’s last (you heard it here first) and now Deadline appears to have confirmed that. The third year will consist of only six episodes and the cast and crew will be released from their contracts after that. That will give the show the chance to wrap up its storylines, and will also give NBC some new episodes to air in case the strike happens and results in a dearth of scripted programming.
Fans may have been hoping for more from this show, but La Brea was never designed for an extended run seeing as it only had ten episodes in its first season with fourteen set for its second. A six-episode third season would get it to thirty total which is right around the tenure of the typical streaming original these days. The network might consider that a sufficient run to then park the property on Peacock for a while and/or license it out to one of the free, ad-supported streaming services. This offers an alternative to the syndication market which is looking for shows with longer runs and may represent a new direction for scripted originals. (More on that in an upcoming post.)
The renewal helps to offset the multiple recent cancellations of genre entries (eight shows cancelled or announced as ending in January alone), but the Cancellation/Renewal Score remains in the favor of the cancelled/ending shows at 24 (38% of shows tracked this season) vs. 21 (33% of shows). You can see more detail on those numbers at our Cancellation Watch Page.
In La Brea, a sinkhole opens up in the middle of Los Angeles which pulls a group of people back in time to a prehistoric era. They must fight for survival while others from the present find a way to save them and also solve the mystery of the sinkhole. It stars Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Chiké Okonkwo, Karina Logue, Zyra Gorecki, and Veronica St. Clair.
The new year has just begun with more renewals and cancellations on the way, so be sure to stay tuned to this site for news and updates. You can see the status of all the currently airing and returning sci fi and fantasy shows on our Cancellation Watch Page. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
