It's five and out for NBC's Providence, which will end its five-season
run with a two-hour season finale Friday, Dec. 20. While the show still had
been winning its time slot, its margin of victory was growing more narrow with
its ratings on a steady decline.
NBC had not yet determined what it will air in the drama's place Fridays
at 8 p.m., but it will air original episodes through the rest of
Providence's run.
On Sunday nights, NBC has picked up full seasons for both American
Dreams, which airs at 8 p.m., and Boomtown, which airs at 10 p.m. The
two shows, combined with Law & Order: Criminal Intent at 9 p.m., are
giving NBC first place in adults 18 through 49 on Sunday nights as compared to
last year, when the network was third in the key demo on Sundays.
"We've been thrilled with the quality and the performance of both of these
new series," said Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment. "They represent
the gold standard of what we hope for in a quality drama."
In other NBC scheduling news, the network will repeat last Sunday's original
episode of Law & Order: Criminal Intent this Thursday at 10 p.m.
instead of running a repeat of hit medical drama ER. NBC's dramas tend
not to repeat well, and NBC does not want to lose ground to CBS with November
sweeps approaching.
