Will ‘Ordinary Joe’ See a Renewal From NBC for Season 2?

Ordinary Joe was one of the unique new shows to premiere on television this fall, but it still has not been renewed for a second season. It has built a devoted fan base, but its low ratings have put the show on the bubble. The series was created by The Batman director Matt Reeves and based on an idea from British writer Caleb Ranson.

The series stars James Wolk as Joe Kimbreau, a Syracuse University graduate. He has three futures – one as a police officer; one as a music superstar; and another as a nurse – and the show tracks all three of them. Natalie Martinez stars as Amy Kindelan, a fellow graduate he meets on the day of their graduation. Elizabeth Lail plays Jenny Banks, who was Joe’s girlfriend in college. Charlie Barnett plays Eric Payne, Joe’s best friend. All three play different roles in Joe’s parallel lives. The show uses different color schemes for each timeline.

Although Ordinary Joe started off strong in the ratings, the series’ live viewership has continued to decrease over time. The show’s first nine episodes averaged 2.598 million live viewers and a 0.35 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, according to TVSeriesFinale. While DVR viewing can save a show from cancellation, Ordinary Joe’s delayed viewership doesn’t give the series a significant boost. The show has only averaged 3.8 million viewers and a 0.5 rating when delayed viewing in the first week after an episode airs is taken into consideration, notes TVFanatic.

Ordinary Joe might not have the numbers to save it, but while its future is unknown, fans are loudly calling for it to be renewed. “Hey [NBC] do yourself a favor and renew [Ordinary Joe] ASAP! It’s by far the best new show and one of the best shows on TV period,” one fan tweeted. “I love love love this show…really I think there is nothing better on TV right now! I really don’t know what to expect… NBC needs to give it a full season and then renew it for a season 2,” another tweeted.

If Ordinary Joe is quickly canceled, it will be a sudden end to a show that took years to come to fruition. The project dates back to 2006, when ABC put in a put-pilot commitment for the project. However, the pilot was never produced. In November 2018, the project was suddenly revived at NBC. The coronavirus delayed production, and the show was pushed to the 2021-2022 TV season. It finally debuted on Sept. 20.

Ordinary Joe will be back after its winter break on Monday, Jan. 3 at 10 p.m. ET. The first nine episodes are available to stream on Hulu, NBC.com, the NBC app, and Peacock.