‘American Odyssey’ formally canceled by NBC; season 2 hopes just about dead

In many ways, the cancellation of “American Odyssey” by NBC has to be considered a formality. Almost everyone associated with the show had to know that this was coming, given that the ratings were pretty abysmal on Sunday night. It aired for a good percentage of its first season outside of sweeps and without a whole lot of buzz, which is somewhat of a shame since the series and its star Anna Friel deserved so much better.

Is it possible in theory that the show could find a new home? Sure, but it not going to happen. The only reason why a show like “Hannibal,” which is posting similar ratings, stands a chance is because it has the pedigree from critics over the past few years, coupled with a production model that could make it a valuable asset somewhere.

Looking at the fall season for NBC, though, it feels like this is a network in a series need right now of a retooling for a variety of different reasons. Their biggest hit going into the 2014-15 season was “The Blacklist,” which suffered a huge drop after a questionable move for it away from Monday nights. Now, it is only performing decently, and the same thing goes for the Dick Wolf dramas. “Grimm” also struggled with a move to the 8:00 p.m. hour.

Much of the network’s hopes in scripted drama now lie with the new “Blindspot,” which feels to us almost like “Ink Master” meets “National Treasure” meets “The Blacklist,” and also a revival of “Heroes,” a show that became a ratings disappointment by the time that it was originally off the air.

Hopefully, the “American Odyssey” cast and crew do get an opportunity to move on and do something else great.

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