“Taken” is being pulled off of the NBC schedule.


The sophomore drama will no longer air on Fridays for the broadcaster. Instead, it will move to Saturdays beginning on May 26. The move means an almost certain cancellation for the series. The show’s renewal last year was something of a surprise, given that the series averaged just a 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.1 million viewers per episode in Live+Same Day. However, the show had been popular internationally and was relatively inexpensive to produce. NBC also overhauled the show for Season 2, with six Season 1 cast members exiting and Greg Plageman taking over as showrunner from Alexander Cary. Nevertheless, the second season has fallen off hard in the ratings, currently averaging just a 0.4 and 2.8 million viewers per episode, making it NBC’s lowest-rated original.


The series serves as a prequel to the hit action film franchise of the same name that starred Liam Neeson, with “Vikings” star Clive Standen taking over the role of former Green Beret Bryan Mills. After a personal tragedy leaves him badly shaken, Mills is recruited by the CIA, with each mission helping him build up the “very particular set of skills” that enthralled fans of the film series.