NBC Orders an Extra 'Irrational' Episode in Wake of Strikes

Freshman drama The Irrational just got some very good news. The Jesse L. Martin-led series is currently on a small hiatus due to running out of episodes that were filmed/produced prior to the strikes. NBC's midseason 2024 schedule revealed that the show will be back on Monday, Jan. 29, and now with an extra episode. According to Deadline, NBC increased The Irrational's episode order. Season 1 will now consist of 11 episodes instead of 10.

The order comes as NBC was working on its midseason schedule, which was recently revealed. The Irrational filmed only seven episodes before production was paused due to the strikes, with filming reportedly kicking off again last week in Vancouver.  The increased order is not so surprising, as The Irrational had a solid debut. As one of the few new scripted shows airing on the fall 2023 schedule, TVSeriesFinale reported that the premiere had 3.81 million viewers, with ratings remaining steady throughout the first half of the season.

Also starring Maahra Hill, Travina Springer, Molly Kunz, and Arash DeMaxi, The Irrational is based on the bestselling novel Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely. Jesse L. Martin stars as Alec Baker, a world-renowned professor of behavioral psychology. He lends his unique insight into human nature and his expertise to a variety of high-stakes cases. Creator Arika Lisanne Mittman serves as executive producer alongside Mark Goffman and Samuel Baum. Ariely serves as a consultant, with David Frankel serving as director and executive producer. Martin produces The Irrational, which comes from Universal Television.

At the same time that NBC increased The Irrational's episode order, the network decreased Lopez vs. Lopez. The sitcom starring George and Mayan Lopez was initially set to have 13 episodes. However, the series will only be getting 10 now for the second season. The series was one of only just a few sitcoms renewed by NBC after the network axed three other comedies.

It's exciting to know that not only is The Irrational coming back very soon, but it will also have an extra episode. That says quite a lot for only the first season. Although it's still going to be a couple of months until The Irrational returns, it will surely be here before we know it. Don't miss the return and the final four episodes of Season 1 beginning on Monday, Jan. 29 at 10 p.m. ET only on NBC. The first seven episodes are currently streaming on Peacock.