Is ‘Ordinary Joe’ Canceled or Renewed? EP Discusses Fate of NBC Series Ahead of Season 1 Finale
Is this the end of the line for Ordinary Joe? The season finale of NBC’s freshman drama airs on Jan. 24, and there are some signs that the episode could end up being a series finale. An executive producer on the show, which stars James Wolk, recently said there was a chance the show might not be renewed for season 2.
What is ‘Ordinary Joe’ about?
In Ordinary Joe, Wolk stars as Joe Kimbreau, a man who has to make a life-changing choice on the day of his college graduation. Three parallel stories play out throughout season 1, each exploring Joe’s life a decade after that fateful decision. In one, he is a successful musician. In another, he’s a nurse who is married to his college sweetheart. And in the third, he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a police officer.
In the season 1 finale, which reportedly ends on a cliffhanger, each version of Joe is again at a crucial moment in his life.
“These last few episodes, they’re so nonstop I mean, in a great way,” Wolk told NBC4.
Will there be an ‘Ordinary Joe’ Season 2?
Right now, there’s no word yet on whether Ordinary Joe will be canceled or renewed for season 2. The show averaged 2.3 million viewers per episode in its first season, according to TVSeriesFinale. But that number fell below 2 million for episodes that aired after the mid-season break. Executive producer Russel Friend recently told TVLine that the show is “definitely on the bubble.”
Ordinary Joe’s future may come down to how well the series does on streaming, Friend said.
“We’re waiting to hear, obviously, from the network [and] trying to figure out, basically, how we’re doing on streaming,” he explained. “Our hope is to get the word out that come Monday, all 13 episodes of the show will be available on Hulu and Peacock.”
“We’re really hoping that people discover the show streaming-wise,” he went on to say. “It’s such a binge-able show. So we’re really hoping that once all 13 episodes are up, that people who like to binge their shows could now jump in and really get hooked. So hopefully if that happens, that would obviously help us with a season 2.”
Friend urges ‘Ordinary Joe’ fans to show their support for the show
With Ordinary Joe’s fate up in the air, Friend urged the show’s fans to show their support on social media.
“We’re hoping we get fans excited and that they start tweeting or whatever to push NBC to pick us up,” he told TVLine. “What’s nice is, just [from] an unscientific poll [of] our fans on Twitter or Instagram, it just feels like people are so into the show. It feels like we have a very loyal, passionate fanbase.”
The Ordinary Joe Season 1 finale airs Monday, Jan. 24 at 10 p.m. ET on NBC. The entire first season will be available to stream on Hulu and Peacock after the finale.
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