A Deception season 2 status report and ABC’s Sundays-at-10 dilemma
There are few timeslots that are worse for a major broadcast network out there than Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern over on ABC. Revenge is the last show that had somewhat of a stable life in this spot but eventually, it was removed from the equation there. The same goes for Quantico, which was moved to Mondays and is airing this season over on Thursdays.
Earlier this fall, ABC attempted to launch Ten Days in the Valley in this spot and it quickly tanked out. That led to it being one of the first big cancellations of the fall season. Last spring, the bad timeslot ultimately did away with the otherwise-fantastic American Crime.
Now, Deception on ABC is the latest show that is occupying this timeslot and its fate, at least at present, remains up in the air. It has had the luxury of airing after a decent show in American Idol and at least for its premiere, it performed rather well in posting a 1.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic. However, since that time its performance in the 18-49 demographic has been cut in half.
Let’s put it this way — if Deception does get canceled at the end of the season, it’s not going to feel like a trick. We could see it happening just because its performances isn’t blowing anyone away who follows along ABC and its ratings.
Yet, there is also still a case for it to be brought back even with some recent struggles. ABC is still somewhat-lacking in the procedural department and it’s something they very clearly want. However, so far their attempt to remake Quantico hasn’t quite worked and some of their hybrid shows like Kevin (Probably) Saves the World haven’t quite blown anyone away.
In general, ABC has a real problem in their scripted-drama department. Nothing that they are airing at 10:00 p.m. Eastern right now is performing all that well — at least beyond 20/20. How to Get Away with Murder does well on Thursdays, but only for a part of the year. The same goes for The Good Doctor. If such shows like Kevin, For the People, Quantico, The Crossing, and Agents of SHIELD get canceled, that could open the door for more Deception just because of the fact that ABC as a network simply needs more shows. They need some breakout hits or at least some stopgaps — Deception at least has a lot going for it and it could build an audience over time. It has potential and this to some of its story-of-the-week nature, it may be able to gain more viewers over time.
Do you want to see a Deception season 2 happen, at least based on some of what you have seen so far? Share in the comments!