Normally, the announcement of an official primetime schedule for the upcoming season offers final clarity on the fate of all existing shows, but that isn't the case for NBC's “American Odyssey” and “A.D. The Bible Continues.”
In the past couple days, NBC has gone through its 2014-2015 schedule dead-weight slashing and burning, saying farewell to dramas like “Constantine” and “State of Affairs” and canceling every existing comedy other than “Undateable.”
But NBC announced its 2015-2016 schedule on Sunday (May 10) morning and it included the notation that “The decision on the future of “A.D. The Bible Continues” and “American Odyssey” will come at a later date after their respective seasons have ended.”
It is theoretically true that everything NBC formally cancelled last week has ended its season, while “American Odyssey” and the punctuationally confusing “A.D. The Bible Continues” are still airing on Sunday.
What, exactly, could “American Odyssey” do in its remaining episodes to earn a renewal? Well, its most recent episode drew 3.2 million viewers and only a 0.5 rating among adults 18-49, so NBC's restrain here appears to mostly be one of respect, not hope. It's hard to imagine any circumstance in which “American Odyssey” is renewed, but at least now it doesn't have to play out the string under the shroud of cancellation.
As for “A.D. The Bible Continues,” after a solid start, numbers have dwindled, but with just under 5.5 million viewers and a 1.1 key demo rating, its numbers aren't appreciably different from “The Mysteries of Laura,” which was picked up for a second season. There are also probably reasons for NBC to continue to want to be in the Mark Burnett/Roma Downey business.
This breath-holding isn't unprecedented at NBC. Fans of “Hannibal” will remember that that drama premiered in April of 2013 and its fate was up in the air at the time of NBC's upfront, only to get a renewal at the end of May.
“Hannibal” is back in limbo this year, with its only mention in NBC's press release noting a Thursday, June 4 return. This was not unexpected.
BubbleWatch 2015 Gallery Updated With All The Announced Renewals & Cancellations.