After three episodes shown so far, the much-hyped NBC spy series, 'Undercovers,' which stars Boris Kodjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw is on the verge of cancellation following last night's ratings.
Deadline.com reports that the J.J Abrams produced show continues to fade in the 8 PM timeslot. It managed a 1.5/4 in 18-49 last night, down a notch from last week, where it managed a 1.6/5 and 7.1 million viewers, finishing distant fourth in the hour. On the same night last year, the now-defunct medical drama 'Mercy' drew a 1.9 in the hour, and NBC averaged a 1.7 in the time slot last season.
The entire evening didn't bode well for the network as 'Law & Order: SVU' (2.5/7), in the 9 PM timeslot, was down 11%. Even worse, the new spinoff, with Terrence Howard and Regina Hall, 'Law & Order: Los Angeles' (2.4/7) was down a steep 25% from its premiere last week. On the positive side, it still won what is shaping up to be a very weak Wednesday 10 PM hour this season and held 96% of its SVU lead-in.
On the upside, according to Target Market News, NBC has pushed CBS to third place to become the most watched network in black households with 'Undercovers' as a lead factor in the equation. The show averages 9.7 ratings with 4.5 millions among African Americans.
Maybe NBC should consider moving 'Undercovers' to Friday nights at 10pm, where 'Outlaw' used to be. NBC recently shut down production on the Jimmy Smits legal drama due to declining ratings.