'Taken' Fans Are Not Pleased at All NBC Canceled the Show

Fans of NBC’s Taken are using their “very particular set of skills” in an attempt to save [...]

By Allison Schonter

Fans of NBC's Taken are using their "very particular set of skills" in an attempt to save their favorite show and let the network know that they are not at all pleased with the decision to pull the plug.

Following the announcement that Taken, NBC's prequel to the popular film franchise of the same name, will be pulled from its Friday night slot immediately with remaining episodes not set to air until May 26, spelling a likely death sentence for the series, fans are channeling their inner CIA operative Bryan Mills and have set out on a mission to rescue the show.

"Oh no. They should have kept the team from season 1. I liked them. Radical redo for season 2 may have sealed its fate. I still will watch @TakenNBC and hope it keeps going," one person wrote, using the hashtag "Save Taken" in an attempt to rescue the series from impending doom.

"How dare you @nbc! Taken is one of the best shows on your network with 3million+ loyal, faithful fans, & you have the audacity to this! Shameful," another fan criticized the network's decision.

"I will say this once — if you return my show to its time slot, there will be no consequences for you. But if NOT, I will hunt you down..." another fan wrote, clearly drawing inspiration from main character Bryan Mills.

The show, which served as a prequel to the popular Taken film franchise, has been on the chopping block for cancellation in recent weeks.

The series underwent a major shakeuo heading into its second season, completely being retooled with a new showrunner and a very different look to the cast, only keeping series regulars Clive Standen, who portrays Bryan Mills, and Jennifer Beals, who takes on the role of Christina Hart. The series, which follows the origin story of younger, hungrier former Green Beret Bryan Mills as he deals with a personal tragedy that shakes his world, adopted a more procedural element for its sophomore season.

The program averaged 2-3 million viewers each week and 0.3-0.4 rating in the 18-49 demographic. This places it way behind CBS' MacGyver and puts it in competition with FOX's Masterchef Junior, who lagged behind in total ratings but ahead in the key demographic in recent ratings.

Bumping the show into the summertime and plugging into a Saturday night seems to set a death sentence for the show.

The show, currently in its second season, has only aired 11 of its 16 ordered episodes from season 2. If NBC pulls the plug, Taken's total episode count will be at only 24 episodes.

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