The movie and TV series production industries are fickle. If a show fails to draw good ratings, it gets canned or slotted at an inhuman airing hour.
Did something similar happen to the NBC show The Irrational? After airing a batch of just seven episodes, it went off-air, and there is widespread confusion about when it will return. Or rather, even if it will return.
So what’s the truth?
Yes, NBC’s The Irrational TV series will return for more episodes. It has aired only seven episodes till now, the last one on November 6, 2023, before pausing. This break was because no new episodes were filmed after WGA and SAG-AFTRA went on strike. NBC has also increased the number of episodes of season 1 from 10 to 11.
What Is The Irrational TV Show About?
The Irrational is a TV police procedural drama show that airs on NBC. It stars Jesse L. Martin, Arash DeMaxi, Maahra Hill, Travina Springer, Brian King, and Molly Kunz.
The series follows Martin’s professor, Alec Mercer, a world-renowned behavioral science expert. In every episode, he offers unique insight and expertise to solve high-stakes situations involving law enforcement, companies, and governments.
Assisting him are Rizwan (Arash DeMaxi) and Phoebe (Molly Kunz), his research assistants. His ex-wife Marisa (Maahra Hill) and tech guru Kylie (Springer), his younger sister, are also helping him.
What Happened to The Irrational TV Show?
The Irrational entered TV screens in 2023 when the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes occurred. This meant that there was a shortage of shows on TV.
The series also gained much traction online for bringing Jesse L. Martin back to his procedural drama roots after Law and Order. However, after airing only seven episodes, the show quickly went on a break—the last airing on November 6, 2023.
Also, season one’s ratings aren’t too hot. As per the TV Series Finale site, The Irrationals averaged a measly 0.29 rating in the significant 18-49 demographic and 3.75 million viewers in total, including live and same-day ratings.
This made regular viewers wonder if the show has been canceled and if it will ever return. After all, the strike is now over. So, there’s no reason for a show that hasn’t been canceled to stay off-air.
The good news is that there has been no official announcement from NBC about the cancelation of The Irrational. So the show is on a break.
The creator and showrunner of The Irrational, Arika Lisanne Mittman, confirmed the same in an interview with CinemaBlend on November 14, 2023. The interview happened before the SAG-AFTRA strike was over. Mittman said:
“We’re still writing the rest of the season! [laughs] So we will be able to – hopefully, pending with SAG strike – be able to finish the season the way we want to.”
So, the show hasn’t been absent from its Monday night-time airing time because of poor ratings but because it ran out of episodes to air. The seven that were aired were produced before the strikes began.
Deadline has also announced that the show will have one additional episode for season 1, increasing the number of episodes from 10 to 11. Now that the strikes are over, the show will return.
It’s expected to restart airing on Monday, November 27. As such, it remains to be seen if the show can produce more episodes in such a tight turnaround time.
What do you think about The Irrationals? Did you love the seven episodes that have aired till now? Are you excited to watch more?
Let us know what you think of the show in the comments below.
