NBC is clearing house ahead of the 2025 TV season, canceling five series as it reshapes its primetime strategy. "Suits: LA," "Night Court," "Found," "The Irrational," and "Lopez vs. Lopez" were all officially axed last week, marking one of the network's most sweeping overhauls in recent memory.
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The move comes as NBC prepares to reintroduce NBA on NBC to its lineup, a major development that will take up three hours of primetime each week. While the network remains tight-lipped about that development, it appears to be a key driver behind its latest programming cuts.
NBC Exec Offers Clarity on Cancellations
Speaking during a press conference attended by Deadline, NBCUniversal's President of Program Planning Strategy Jeff Bader offered some insight into the network's decision-making process. Specifically, he pointed to underwhelming performance and limited growth potential.
"Suits: LA had a very short run, but it really has not resonated in the way we thought it would," Bader said. "There can be many reasons why it hasn't connected, but it's just not showing the potential to grow for us in the future. Those are the decisions we had to make."
The "Suits" spinoff, which premiered in February and ran for 13 episodes, had been expected to ride the wave of renewed interest in its predecessor. The original "Suits" saw a massive resurgence in popularity on Netflix in 2023, prompting NBC to greenlight the offshoot. But momentum didn't carry over.
Bader also addressed the cancellation of other shows, explaining that NBC evaluated each title across multiple platforms.
"We had to look at performance both on linear and digital," he said. "We're looking at how stable they are, which ones are growing, which ones are declining. And we had to make some hard decisions."
NBA's Return Changes Game
What Bader didn't mention is perhaps the biggest wrinkle in NBC's fall slate: the return of the NBA on NBC. The network secured an 11-year deal to broadcast professional basketball starting this fall, complete with marquee games and high-profile analysts. Coverage will be available on both traditional TV and Peacock's streaming platform.
While exciting for sports fans, the move squeezes primetime availability for scripted programming. With three hours of weekly airtime now reserved for NBA broadcasts, network executives are under increased pressure to trim shows that don't perform, or simply don't fit.
Reports say the shift likely contributed to the cancellation spree, even if it wasn't cited directly.
Fallout From the Cuts
The impact of the cancellations has been swift. The Irrational's showrunner had expressed optimism for a third season just days before the series was pulled. Night Court cast member John Larroquette recently shared with CinemaBlend how the ensemble had begun to hit its stride.
Still, as Bader noted, the decisions are business-driven.
Network television remains in a state of transition, facing pressure from both digital viewership metrics and large-scale content deals. For NBC, the return of live sports adds excitement, but also forces tough choices.
