ABC has decided against giving full-season orders for frosh dramas “Last Resort” and “666 Park Avenue.”
“Last Resort” got off to a slow ratings start in the Thursday 8 p.m. slot and never recovered. Show debuted Sept. 27 and has been averaging a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demo and 9.2 million total viewers when live-plus-7 data is included. Although the show will not receive a back-nine order this season, ABC and producer Sony Pictures TV have yet to release the options on the show’s stars, which allows the network to hedge its bets for down the road.
The numbers for the initial viewing of each episode, however, have been far below the plus-7 totals. As an example, Thursday’s telecast — the eighth of the season — drew a 1.3 rating and 5.8 million total viewers.
In the 8 p.m. Thursday timeslot, “Last Resort” has faced tough competition in CBS’ powerhouse comedy “The Big Bang Theory” and Fox’s “The X-Factor” results show.
“Last Resort” was co-created by Shawn Ryan and Karl Gajdusek, who exec produce with Marney Hochman and Kevin Hooks. Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman star as U.S. submarine commanders who have gone against orders by not firing nuclear weapons. Daisy Betts also stars.
This marks the fourth consecutive season since “Ugly Betty” was moved out of the 8 p.m. Thursday slot that ABC’s fall drama offering has not earned a renewal, following “FlashForward,” “My Generation” and “Charlie’s Angels.”
As for “666 Park Avenue,” which airs at 10 o’clock Sunday and will going off the air, the supernatural drama has been up against NBC’s “Sunday Night Football.”
Starring “Lost” vet Terry O’Quinn as a demonic superintendant of a high-end Gotham apartment building, “666 Park Avenue” has been averaging a 2.2 rating in the 18-49 demo and 6.3 million total viewers in live-plus-7 data.
Show is from Warner Bros. Television and was created by David Wilcox, who exec produces with Matt Miller, Gina Girolamo and Leslie Morgenstein.
ABC plans to run the entire 13 episodes already produced before canceling each show, but scheduling could change over the next few weeks.
Of its new dramas, ABC has already given a full-season pickup to “Nashville.”
