One of the most anticipated TV pilots released in the fall of 2021 was NBC’sOrdinary Joe. It was clear from the initial trailer that the show would follow the emotional journey of the main character Kimbrough,played by James Wolk. Along with Wolk, we also saw a cast like Elizabeth Lail, who played Jenny Banks and was best known for her role as Guinevere Beck on Netflix’sYouseason 1, Natalie Martinez as Amy Kindelán, and Charlie Barnett as Eric Payne.
The show’s official synopsis reads:
“Life is all about the choices one makes – and sometimes, what one does in a single moment can change everything. Joe Kimbreau faces one of these decisions at his college graduation, leading to three parallel stories that diverge from that night. Each path finds Joe with a different career – as a nurse, a police officer or a rock star – along with different friendships, relationships and family lives, showing the unexpected ways things change – and stay the same. But when it comes down to it, there is no “right” choice; no matter what happens, Joe’s life is always messy, exciting, tough, unpredictable – and beautiful.”
Unfortunately, NBC announced they would be pulling the plug on this show only after one season after the last episode. So, why didOrdinary Joeget canceled? And is another network going to pick the series up? Let’s find out whether there is any future to this TV drama or if this is the end of the line.
Updated August 2022 byLiz Young: If you’re looking for more details aboutOrdinary Joe, you’ll be happy to know that we’ve updated this article with more information, including the current status of the series.
How Ordinary Joe Came About
Ordinary Joeis about a young, optimistic college graduate who lives three different versions of his life. In one, he’s a healthcare worker. In another, he is a rockstar, and in the third one, he is a cop. Joe Kimbreau’s story was first developed 15 years ago as a script byMatt Reevesfor ABC. Reeves is also the creator of WB’sFelicityand has enjoyed a successful career as a director for movies likePlanet of the Apes,Cloverfield, andTheBatmanwith Robert Pattinson.
After wrapping upFelicityback in 2002, Reeves found himself at a crossroads in his career but soon learned of a drama series from the U.K. that inspired him to write the story behindOrdinary Joe.
Related:Days of Our Lives Is Moving to Peacock
He toldEWin an interview:
“This idea hit me personally, wondering about the choices that you could have made. I was looking to do a story that was in the world of the kind of drama that Felicity was in. I love those kinds of serialized stories about the intimate moments in characters' lives. Everybody has that moment where they look back and they think about certain crossroads. They think, ‘God, I could have done this. I could’ve done that. And what would my life be like?’ I really wanted to do a show that sort of embraced the idea of how we’re not in control of our lives. You’re in control of your choices, but you’re not in control of the timing of things.”
Though it took over a decade, he didn’t forget the script. Reeves sold it to NBC while bringing Garrett Lerner and Russel Friend on to write and run. The series was supposed to go to pilot sometime between 2020-21, but due to the pandemic, it wasn’t picked up until March 2021.
Why Was Ordinary Joe Canceled?
Unfortunately, there will no longer be a “what if…?” scenario for Joe since NBC canceled the drama series just after one season. The show averaged total viewers of 3.3 million and a 0.5 demo rating. To make matters worse, it also ranked last in both measures among the ten dramas that NBC aired during this TV season. These rankings caused fans to be concerned early on about cancelation, some individuals even tweeting in September that they thought the show had already been canceled by NBC based on the continuously dropping viewer numbers.
The season finale, which now serves as the series finale, aired on August 20, 2025, and finds all the three Joes at romantic crossroads. After nearly dying by totaling his car, Music Joe entered rehab only to leave soon after. At the end of the episode, we find him coming to Jenny’s door and telling her that he wants to live with her. On the other hand, we find Cop Joe impulsively proposing to Amy after she announced that she would be moving to Miami to run her mother’s campaign. Lastly, we find Nurse Joe surprising Jenny in Atlanta, where he asks her to renew their vows. But, little did Nurse Joe know that Barrett also made a proposal to Jenny to start a firm with him and stay back in Atlanta.
Related:Seth MacFarlane Explains His Original Vision for The Orville
In a post-mortem Q&A, Russel Friend,Ordinary Joe’sco-showrunner, toldTV Linethat Music Joe “really hit rock bottom” and was “not in a very good place” when he went to Jenny. He went on to say:
“He believes, in that moment, that it’s the right thing, that maybe Jenny could be the solution to all his problems and this panacea, [like], ‘If I chose her, everything would’ve been better,'” Friend said. “Our take on it is he’s authentic and passionate and genuine about this choice, and he does believe he loves Jenny, and he should’ve done this. But is he really in the right frame of mind to make those big life decisions is the bigger question. We love that cliffhanger aspect of that, and where could that go?”
Friend says he’s hopeful the show may find a home on streamingplatforms like Huluand Peacock since it fared better there. There has been no movement by a streaming platform or other network to pick up the show. At this point, it is unlikely NBC’s streaming service Peacock will pick up the series, though that doesn’t mean hope is lost for other streamers or networks. Those conversations may still be in the works, though it has not been hinted at either way.
Ordinary Joeisn’t the only television series Reeves has lost in the last few months. During apodcast interview, Reeves confirmed that theGotham PDseries is on “indefinite hold.” The show was meant to follow the Gotham police department; however, HBO Max and the series creators differed in direction.The Batmandirector wanted to center around a corrupt cop. This is not to be confused with thePenguinseries, which has received a series order.
