NBC Scraps 5 Shows Including Suits LA & Night Court to Make Room for NBA Coverage

May 10, 2025: In a surprising move, NBC has announced the cancellation of five shows, with the first casualty being Melissa Rauch’s Night Court reboot. The courtroom comedy had a successful three-season run but saw a significant decline in viewership in recent years. Despite early promise, Night Court failed to maintain its strong start, ultimately contributing to its cancellation.

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Joining Night Court on the chopping block are several other notable shows, including dramas Found, The Irrational, and Suits LA, as well as the multi-camera comedy Lopez vs. Lopez. While some of these shows had strong debuts, they couldn’t sustain their momentum, leading NBC to make tough decisions ahead of its upfront presentation.

Night Court, co-starring Lacretta and John Larroquette, had initially enjoyed success, but as ratings dipped over the seasons, the show struggled to keep its audience engaged. Meanwhile, Lopez vs. Lopez, another three-season show, also failed to maintain its viewer base, marking the end of the line for the series.

Among the first-year dramas, Brilliant Minds, Grosse Pointe Garden Society, and The Hunting Party remain in limbo, as NBC has yet to make final decisions on their future. The network is expected to announce its full 2025-26 lineup on Monday, ahead of its annual upfront presentation.

The cancellations come as NBC adjusts its programming strategy for the upcoming season. The network has plans to air 180 hours of primetime NBA programming, prioritizing live sports content in order to attract a broader, more engaged audience. The move reflects a broader trend in broadcast television, where live events, particularly sports, are increasingly seen as a valuable asset in drawing large, live-viewing audiences.

Despite some of the cancelled shows, like The Irrational and Found, performing well in streaming and delayed viewership, the majority of viewers for NBA broadcasts next season are expected to watch the games live, prompting NBC to shift its focus to live sports content.

In fact, none of the five shows cancelled by NBC this season amassed over 2.2 million same-day viewers. This figure highlights the growing challenge for scripted television shows, especially those competing with the massive draw of live sports.

As NBC’s primetime lineup undergoes significant changes, only Happy’s Place, a comedy series, has survived the season, standing as the lone comedy to make it through the network’s cancellations.

The cancellation of these shows marks the end of an era for NBC, and with NBA programming taking center stage, it remains to be seen how this shift in focus will impact the network’s overall strategy and viewership moving forward.

What’s Next for NBC?

NBC’s decision to cut back on scripted shows in favor of live sports programming underscores the increasing dominance of sports in the television landscape. With the growing popularity of streaming services, which have increasingly cornered scripted content, traditional networks like NBC are turning to live events to maintain a competitive edge.

NBC will announce the remainder of its 2025-26 schedule next week, leaving fans of the cancelled shows to wait and see if any will find new life elsewhere or if the network will make additional programming shifts.