‘Taken’ Effectively Canceled At NBC, Crime Drama Series Pulled From Schedule

“Taken” has been pulled off of the NBC schedule.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network yanked the crime drama series from its Friday 9 p.m. time slot, effective this week. After a brief hiatus, remaining episodes of the show’s Season 2 will be burned off on Saturdays at 8 p.m. EDT starting May 26. TVLine reported that “Dateline” will air in its place for at least the next three Fridays.

“Taken,” which stars Clive Standen, Jennifer Beals, Adam Goldberg, and Jessica Camacho, was already considered a likely cancellation, but its move to Saturdays makes that certain, Deadline noted.

The show’s Season 2 renewal last May was a surprise to many as the series only averaged a 1.0 rating in adults 18-49 and 5.1 million viewers per episode in Live+Same Day. But because the show had been popular internationally and was a cost-effective co-production between Universal Television and Europa Corp., NBC picked up the series for a 16-episode sophomore run.

Although NBC retooled the show for Season 2, with Greg Plageman taking over as showrunner from Alexander Cary, “Taken” has still delivered underwhelming ratings. According to Variety, Season 2 of “Taken” is currently averaging just a 0.4 and 2.8 million viewers per episode, making it the network’s lowest-rated original.

“Taken” Season 2, episode 12, titled “Imperium,” was supposed to air this Friday. The installment, which is now set to be released in the summer, features a special guest appearance by NASCAR driver Ryan Blaney.

As revealed by USA Today last month, Blaney will play the role of FBI Special Agent Wood in the hour. One of the bureau’s best drivers, Wood is tasked to try to stop a deadly arms dealer from getting to the dock with a truck full of missiles and grenades.

“We did a little bit of driving,” Blaney told the news outlet of what went down during filming. “There were some parts that needed a professional stunt driver, but I did a little of it. I’ve never done the stunt-driving thing before. That was pretty neat, the way they formatted it, and what they had going on throughout the chase.”

Blaney, who appeared as a delivery man in the 2017 movie “Logan Lucky,” said that his two-day stint on the Canada set of “Taken” was unlike anything he’s experienced before. “I’ve never done a TV show like this, and I’ve never done anything that was high-action-packed, like this one is, or have as many scenes as this,” the 24-year-old North Carolina native said. “This was the most I’ve ever done, and it was cool to be a part of.”

What do you think of NBC’s decision to remove “Taken” from its primetime lineup? Sound off in the comments section below!