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NBC Officially Cancels Taken, The Brave, Rise and Great News

May 11, 2018 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Taken TAKEN -- "Ready" Episode 102 -- Pictured: Clive Standen as Bryan Mills -- (Photo by: Ken Woroner/NBC)

NBC made a few cancellations official on Friday, cutting dramas Taken, Rise, and The Brave as well as comedy Great News. TV Line has confirmed that all three decisions were handed down today.

In the cases of the dramas, these are just formalities. Taken was essentially cancelled in April when it was pulled from Fridays; it squeaked its way to a second season with a major creative retooling after a poorly-rated first run. But ratings were even worse when it bowed the second season early this year. Meanwhile, The Brave did not get a full-season order after its first thirteen episodes aired. That is due to disappointing numbers considering it was hyped by the network and had The Voice as a lead-in. As for Great News, that cancellation was also expected when ratings bottomed out in the second half of the season.

Finally there is Rise. The high school-set music drama was heavily promoted by the network as a midseason series and was expected to be able to pick up nicely with its own lead-in from The Voice. That didn’t happen and the show began with an okay 1.23 demo rating, but plummeted to a 0.7 by its seventh and eighth episodes.

Still awaiting renewal decisions at NBC are The Blacklist, which we predict will be renewed, and the expected-to-be-cancelled Law & Order: True Crime, Timeless, and Champions.