NBC has canceled two reality shows on Peacock ahead of a busy Summer Olympics schedule. For many TV series, surviving past the first season signals potential longevity. According to Statista, just over 12% of streaming shows have been axed in the past three years.
Unfortunately, fans of two Peacock reality programs are feeling the sting of the cutthroat television industry. As reported by Deadline, NBC has canceled “LA Fire & Rescue” and “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge,” which debuted less than a year ago on Peacock.
These cancellations seem to have been made to clear space for NBC’s coverage of the upcoming Paris Olympic Games, beginning on July 26. NBC intends to broadcast the Olympics across its extensive network of channels.
LA Fire & Rescue, one of the recently canceled NBC shows, promised “Unprecedented access to the inner workings of the Los Angeles County Fire Department,” according to an NBC press release. The series provided a behind-the-scenes glimpse into multiple firehouses across Los Angeles.
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The LACoFD is responsible for safeguarding the lives and property of four million residents across 59 cities in Los Angeles County. It covers 2,300 square miles, a unique service area in the United States. From mountain rescues by helicopter to beach SOS by lifeguards, fireboats, and hazmat units to battling California wildfires, the department handles it all.
The concept for the series was developed by producers Dick Wolf, Tom Thayer, Rasha Drachkovitch, and Robyn Younie, with Younie also serving as showrunner. Drachkovitch explained the rigorous filming process in an interview with TheWrap. “We went out on over 1,000 calls, which is a huge volume,” Drachkovitch revealed. “We were on the equivalent of on-call because calls could arrive at 2:00 a.m., 3:00 a.m.
So, the crews were set for 24/7 shifts. And we had to have many things pre-set, in a sense, to never get in the way of a call. We’re there to observe, not to become the story.”
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In June 2023, Deadline reported a significant milestone for “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge,” which became Peacock’s highest-rated alternative series launch.
The show, which garnered an estimated 4.8 million viewers within the inaugural five days of its release, appeared to be on a trajectory toward unrivaled success. However, despite its record-breaking performance, NBC unexpectedly decided to forego renewing the reality competition series.
The abrupt cancellation of “Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge” left many fans and industry insiders perplexed. After all, the show’s meteoric rise to prominence seemed to signal a promising future.
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Nevertheless, television programming’s unpredictable nature often defies conventional expectations, leaving audiences questioning the rationale behind network decisions. After NBC’s surprising announcement, speculation about the factors contributing to the show’s demise ran rampant.
Some speculated that the network may have deemed the production costs unsustainable or encountered challenges securing sponsorship deals essential for financing future seasons. Others pondered whether internal reshuffling within NBC’s programming department affected decision-making.
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