NBC has ordered to cut its freshman drama The Player down from 13 to 9 episodes, effectively ending the show’s short-lived run.
The Player, a male-dominated action drama starring Philip Winchester and Wesley Snipes, faced tough competition in its Thursday night slot from Thursday Night Football as well as from baseball. It becomes the second show to see its original episode run reduced, joining Fox’s Minority Report, according to Deadline.
From the executive producers of The Blacklist, The Player is a series about a pit boss (Snipes) hiring a former intelligence officer (Winchester) to stop crimes before they happen.
The Player, from Sony Pictures TV, had premiered with modest promotion, was met with mixed reviews and will wrap up filming its ninth episode and stop series production following that. It averaged a relatively soft 1.2 among adults in live + same day ratings. The show will continue to air in its Thursday 10 p.m. slot until its conclusion.
In other television news, NBC has given a full-season order to its other freshman drama Blindspot.