NBC's new drama thriller "The Player" has been reduced by four episodes.
The TV series that premiered last Sept. 24, which stars Wesley Snipes, was cut to nine episodes instead of 13. According to The Wrap, this is due to the fact that the show is struggling in terms of viewership. The first episode debuted with a rating of 1.2 among adults 18-49. Then the rating slipped to 0.7 with 4 million total viewers with the most recent showing. Thus, the series will end in mid-November, which is way earlier than expected.
According to IGN, even if NBC isn't pulling the show out abruptly and has chosen to air four more episodes this still means that "The Player" still gets the ax. The new series reportedly was hoping for a back order of another nine episodes but now that is being cut, it looks like getting an order for additional episodes is not on the cards.
"The Player" is not the only show for which episodes have been reduced. Fox's Minority Report has gone from 13 episodes to 10. ABC's "Blood and Oil" is also down to 10 episodes. At the moment, the future seems grim for all three shows. In another news, The Wrap reports that Fox's "Bones" and "Sleepy Hollow" have also suffered a drop in their respective ratings and if these go down further, they might suffer the same fate.
In the meantime, "The Player" episode 6, titled "The Norseman" will air on Thursday night. According to TV.com, the House will count on Alex, played by Philip Winchester, to stop a serial killer before Halloween. On the other hand, Mr. Johnson (Wesley Snipes) will interfere with Detective Brown (Damon Gupton) as he follows Cassandra (Charity Wakefield).
If "The Player" somehow manages to earn more ratings or viewers, there might just be a second chance or a second season.
