NBC left a lot on the bubble going into May. That meant we knew we would get a bunch of cancellations just before the Upfronts, and The Irrational is the first big drama announcement.
Sadly, the Jesse L. Martin series is not going to get a third season. The second season finale will now act as the series finale, leaving some storylines tied up but a few questions lingering. The biggest one is who has been following Alec.
Why did NBC cancel The Irrational?
Deadline announced the cancellation, sharing that the writing has been on the wall for some time. NBC needs to change up the schedule considerably, with Tuesday nights being passed over to NBA coverage. It means a three-hour block that was given to comedies, reality shows, and dramas will no longer be available.
However, it's not just that a three-hour block is disappearing. The series also saw a large drop in the linear ratings between the first and second season. Granted, the first season did go up against barely anything, as NBC opted to hold it in the schedule for fall 2023 when few shows were ready due to the writers and actors strikes earlier in the summer. Up against many other shows and a move to Tuesdays wasn't good for the series. We did note this when suggesting that The Irrational season 3 probably wouldn't happen.
It did seem like the decision was made before the season 2 finale, which will now serve as the series finale. After all, there wasn't much fanfare made about it being the season finale.
Could another network save The Irrational?
There are always questions about whether other networks or streamers could save a series. It looks unlikely with The Irrational, especially considering how much the linear ratings dropped.
Deadline didn't say whether the series will be shopped around, though. If it's not shopped around, then there is no hope.
It likely wasn't an easy decision for NBC, but in the end, there are other shows performing better linearly. Now we're looking out for some of those other shows, as there are still many on the bubble.
The Irrational is available to stream on Peacock.
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