‘Allegiance’ canceled by NBC; ‘The Slap’ moves after ‘The Blacklist’

It only took around a month or so for NBC to realize completely that their Thursday night lineup was a complete disaster. Therefore, there are some changes that are now officially in order.

Let’s start here with the breaking story: “Allegiance” has been canceled by the network after a few weeks on the air, where it drew nothing but terrible ratings. It was almost dead on arrival, and it was losing nearly two-thirds of its lead-in from “The Blacklist.” It was the rare network show universally criticized before even premiering, with some proclaiming it to be a rip-off of the FX series “The Americans.” There were differences, but in between the criticism and the subject matter (not the easiest to draw mainstream viewers towards), the show just could not make headway in a crowded lineup on Thursdays.

As a result of this, NBC is shifting their schedule around. “The Slap” will now air at 10:00 p.m. Eastern for the rest of its run; the only reason it is not being canceled is probably because it is a miniseries, and the network is inclined to just allow it to finish its run. Meanwhile, the 8:00 p.m. slot will be filled with “Dateline: The Real Blacklist,” a Richard Engel-narrated show that will look at real-life conspiracies featuring big characters. There’s at least a loose connection to the James Spader series in here when it comes to the name, if nothing else.

To us, the biggest surprise here is that the network is not realizing that “The Blacklist” really needs to go back to Monday night. Move “The Night Shift” to its spot, since it does not seem to be faring well after “The Voice” in the first place.

Are you even remotely surprised by this news? Share right now with a comment. (Photo: NBC.)