'Bluff City Law' shooting to end — but Memphis-made legal drama not canceled

In a disappointment for the local film community and its boosters, "Bluff City Law"  — the NBC legal drama that is set and shot in Memphis — will not shoot any more episodes this year.

Producers announced Thursday that shooting will end Oct. 31, with the completion of the show's 10th episode. Six scripts had been written for additional episodes, but NBC has decided not to go ahead with the series at this time.

"Bluff City Law" has not been canceled, however. Executives will assess the program after its 10 episodes air, to see if it builds any traction on Hulu or other delayed-viewing and on-demand platforms. 

Memphis Film Commissioner Linn Sitler said producers will continue to rent the standing "Bluff City Law" courtroom set built inside the old Fred P. Gattas store on Summer Avenue.

"I'm very reassured they're keeping the soundstage and the sets," said Sitler, who visited the "Bluff City Law" location to talk with producers and crew members about the show's future.

NBC's top drama priority for the current season, "Bluff City Law" was heavily promoted but so far has failed to build an impressive audience.

Aired this past Monday, the program's fourth episode was watched by 3.39 million households, according to the Nielsen ratings. This made it Monday night's lowest-rated program among the "big four" broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox), and also meant the series had lost more than a million viewers from its Sept. 23 debut episode.

This week, the website TV Grim Reaper classified "Bluff City Law" as "likely to be canceled."

In any event, in the modern, fragmented TV landscape, it is not unusual for a series to have a truncated or not overly successful first season, then reappear for a second season. For example, NBC's "Parks and Recreation," a situation comedy that eventually ran for seven seasons and earned 16 Emmy nominations, began with a first season of declining ratings and only six episodes.

Another possibility is that "Bluff City Law" could move from NBC to Peacock, NBCUniversal's new streaming service, set to debut in 2020.

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Production on "Bluff City Law" —  which resumed in July after the earlier shooting of the pilot episode —  always had been scheduled to end this month. But those employed by the show had high hopes that the series would keep shooting or announce future shooting dates, due to the fact that NBC had ordered six additional scripts, possibly as a hedge against a 2020 writers' strike.

"Bluff City Law" stars Jimmy Smits as Elijah Strait, a legendary local civil rights lawyer who, in the first episode, reunites with his lawyer daughter, played by Caitlin McGee. Each week, the ensemble cast of Strait & Associates lawyers tackles various torn-from-the-headlines issues, representing underdog clients in battles against abusers of the environment, corporate bullies, white supremacists and other enemies of human rights.

State and local politicians, business leaders and tourism and film officials worked hard to ensure that "Bluff City Law" would shoot its first season in Memphis, after the pilot episode was produced there in March.

With contributions from the state, Memphis Tourism and the Memphis and Shelby County Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE), a $4.25 million incentives package was put together, to enhance the financial benefits already available legislatively for film and television production — and to ensure that "Bluff City Law" would not join the conga line of set-but-not-shot-in-Memphis productions that includes "The Blind Side" and "Memphis Beat."

NBC estimated it would spend $35 million in Memphis during its first several months of production. Also justifying the investment was the idea that the series would help boost local tourism, as "Nashville" did for its namesake city during its six-season run.

In fact, "Bluff City Law" has made excellent use of Memphis as a shooting location, showcasing soul food restaurants, Beale Street clubs, riverfront parks and the Shelby County Judge D'Army Bailey Courthouse, among other locations.

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The show's creators and cast members were adamant that Memphis would be a "character" in the series, and that authentic Memphis locations were necessary to lend integrity to the program's pro-human rights mission.

"Memphis is very much a part of our story," executive producer Michael Aguilar told The Commercial Appeal. "We chose the city intentionally. We talk about it almost as if it's a character. The people in the show — our characters — are from here, and proud of being here.

"When you're looking out the window of Elijah's office, you're looking into Downtown Memphis. I like that there's actually Memphis light coming through that window."

Series creators also built good will in Memphis with a public "red carpet" event at the Halloran Centre, where audience members were able to mingle with the stars after a screening of the debut episode.

"I really enjoy the show, and think it's been great to see our city showcased on the national stage each week," Mayor Jim Strickland said Thursday. "I'm optimistic 'Bluff City Law' will be back in the spring."