Earlier this spring, it seemed as if NBC had found a unique hit in A.D. The Bible Continues, the sequel to History’s former hit series The Bible from Roma Downey and Mark Burnett. Unfortunately, the ratings didn’t stay solid as the event series continued its run, and NBC made the decision this week to cancel A.D. The Bible Continues. The series will not return for Season 2 on NBC.
When A.D. The Bible Continues was initially picked up by NBC, it was described as an event series over by the network. However, if the show had been a success for NBC, it could have been picked up for another season, as happened with Under The Dome, an event series that is now on its third season on CBS.
While the rating started strong for A.D., they didn’t remain that way. The first episode hit the schedule in early April, and nearly 10 million viewers tuned in. Subsequent weeks saw those numbers drop somewhat, and by the time the twelfth and final episode aired in the latter half of June, the number of live and same day numbers had dropped to 3.5 million total viewers. It’s not uncommon for shows to lose viewers as a season wears on, but the drop was enough for NBC officials to decide it was better to cancel A.D. The Bible Continues rather than attempt to slog through a second season with low ratings.
Variety reports this may not be the end of the A.D. story, however. The outlet is noting A.D.’s prolific producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett have been toying with the idea of creating an online channel for faith-based programming for a while. Now that their partnership with NBC has ended, the two producers reportedly want to buy back the rights to A.D. The Bible Continues and use the show to launch the online channel.
Should Downey and Burnett prove successful, the channel is expected to become available in 2016 or 2017. In the time being, the actors have been released from their contracts and are free to sign on for projects elsewhere, although it seems as if there could be more work in the A.D. realm down the line.
NBC’s had a pretty rough year in terms of cancellations. A lot of the network’s freshman shows didn’t end up finding large audiences during the 2014-2015 TV season. Newbiw comedies like Marry Me, A to Z and Bad Judge were all cancelled, and dramas, including State of Affairs and American Odyssey, also will not be getting second seasons. Luckily, NBC has already been busy promoting some new shows for fall that will hopefully fare a bit better.
If you’d like to see what show will and will not be returning next year, head here.
