NBC notes: ‘Hannibal’ season 3, ‘Constantine’ recast, ‘Undateable’ talk and more
There are a few more highlights from NBC’s panel at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour today that we have not previously discussed here, so now feels like as good of a time as any to dive into some of that!
“Hannibal” talk – The great news for the Bryan Fuller series is that some of the early scripts have been fantastic, per the network’s Jennifer Salke. Unfortunately, there is still the issue known as the show’s ratings. NBC head Robert Greenblatt noted that “Hannibal” is “one of the best shows we have creatively and one of the best reviewed shows,” but that there is also still a “struggle to find an audience for it.”
Our answer to that is pretty simple: Of course there’s going to be a struggle when you stick a show on Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern time! This is not an easy spot for primetime scripted programming. The best thing you can do is hope to spread word of mouth, and hope new viewers watch during the offseason and catch up.
“Undateable’s” future – There is no decision yet on a renewal for the underrated summer comedy, but we’re not that optimistic given the ratings at the end of its run. Granted, it was a sitcom in the summer with little promotion, and it therefore didn’t have much of a chance.
“Constantine” news – You may have heard that Lucy Griffiths has departed the comic-book project despite being the female lead for it. The show is working now on casting a new actress for a different role, but all that is known right now is that she is of “Latina” heritage.
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Finally, one little note for everyone out there hoping for the Bill Cosby show in development to be a big hit: NBC is still developing it, and it will not be a part of the lineup for the 2014-15 season. Rather than have a repeat of “The Michael J. Fox Show,” they seem very interested in getting this one right.