Note: markets for new television shows will be for ten episodes, not five episodes, as in the past. Trade carefully!
NBC ALREADY HAS one mind-reader in Matt Parkman from “Heroes,” and they also just dumped the extra-sensory perception show “Medium,” so it seems a little odd that they’re now rolling out “The Listener.” In this take on the familiar theme, a 25-year old paramedic can read people’s thoughts, but (of course) he decides to use his powers to fight crime. Perhaps there’s a good explanation for the redundancy, though: following the lead of last summer’s “Flashpoint” on CBS, this show is imported from Canada, where it’s been a major hit. (All references to Moosehead Lager and “Hosers” were expunged to cater to audiences on both sides of the border.) “Flashpoint” did put up some strong numbers last summer, but it crashed in the regular season and was canceled. Given that NBC has no vested interest, if this one doesn’t get out of the gate quickly, execs will not hesitate to kill it before the 10-episode mark. 5/31/09.
THE MARKET: Will “The Listener” on NBC make it to a tenth episode? The drama premieres in its regular timeslot on Thursday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET. Trading will close immediately after its scheduled sixth episode on July 9. If a tenth episode airs, shares are worth $100. If it doesn’t, they’re worth $0.
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