Why NBC Canceled The Irrational After Two Seasons

Jesse L. Martin is a treasure. I was incredibly fortunate to see him originate the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the legendary 1996 production of "Rent" (after it transferred from its first home at the New York Theatre Workshop), and I walked out of that performance excited to see what he'd do next. That wound up being "Law & Order," where Martin put in 198 episodes of work as Detective Ed Green. This was a decade-long assignment that, for the most part, took him off the film and theater market. Given how extraordinarily well network television pays if you're a main cast member, you can't begrudge a working actor for prioritizing a regular paycheck.

As an occasional "Law & Order" viewer (it's the steadiest of procedurals, one that you can watch as needed), Martin has only ever been terrific as Green. But as the years have passed, you can't help but get greedy as a viewer and wonder why he doesn't challenge himself more often. Movie-wise, it's possible he's still smarting from the shocking death of "Sexual Healing," the Marvin Gaye biopic that got shut down by Focus Features in 2013 due to budgetary concerns, even though veteran music video director Julien Temple had 70% of the film in the can (this is just one of several failed Gaye biopics). Martin hasn't appeared in a film since then, but he's continued to enjoy huge success on television. He did eight seasons as Joe West on "The Flash" and, two years ago, wound up landing a much-deserved lead role on the NBC procedural series "The Irrational."

Had "The Irrational" caught on, Martin would've been in the sweetest of spots as a TV actor. He's cashing residuals from nine seasons on "Law & Order" and another nine-season run on "The Flash." Throw another long-running season into the mix, and Martin would've officially been pulling down funny money. Alas, "The Irrational" won't be heading into syndication because it is dead after two seasons.

Based on the nonfiction book "Predictably Irrational" by Dan Ariely, "The Irrational" starred Martin as Professor Alec Mercer, a behavioral scientist who aids the police via his understanding of illogical reasoning. Martin also produced the series, which suggests this was something of a passion project for the actor. The show was a solid ratings performer throughout its first season, finishing 30th for the year in the Nielsen ratings. Unfortunately, "The Irrational" suffered a steep ratings downturn in its second season, and that was enough for NBC to drop the sword of Damocles.

"The Irrational" will join "Suits L.A." and the star-crossed revival of "Night Court" on the cancellation scrap heap, which could be a good thing for fans of Martin (who aren't worried about his accumulation of wealth). This tremendously talented actor is now free to return to Broadway or develop a movie for himself, where he can hopefully get back to flashing the full dazzling range of his talent. There could always be a social media campaign to stay NBC's hand, but, for now, the rational money is on "The Irrational" never gracing the network airwaves again.