Despite very soft ratings, ABC is showing confidence in For The People by renewing the freshman drama for a second season.
The series, from creator/executive producer Paul Williams Davies, debuted March 13 as a midseason replacement in ABC’s very challenging Tuesday 10 PM slot, which has claimed a slew of short-lived drama series and survived. It had a somewhat rocky road before launch, with production halted in September for additional script working after Britt Robertson and Jasmin Savoy Brown were recast as the leads. They took over for the pilot’s stars Britne Oldford and Lyndon Smith, respectively.
The show isn’t a strong live performer, hovering around the 0.5 demo range in adults 18-49 but I’m hearing it has strong DVR gains and strong reviews for the series has resulted in what many are calling a surprise renewal for the show. Some believed that since Shonda Rhimes is headed to Netflix (she’s a producer on the series) that ABC might dump it due to its lackluster live ratings but they’re sticking behind it.
For the People is set in the Southern District of New York Federal Court, aka “The Mother Court,” and followed new lawyers working for both the defense and the prosecution as they handle the most high-profile and high-stakes cases in the country – all as their personal lives intersect. The series stars Britt Robertson, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Ben Rappaport, Susannah Flood, Wesam Keesh, Regé-Jean Page, Ben Shenkman, Hope Davis, Vondie Curtis-Hall and Anna Deavere Smith.
