# The Irrational
**The Irrational** is an American crime procedural drama television series created by Arika Lisanne Mittman that aired on NBC from September 25, 2023 to March 25, 2025[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16288838/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1191020/the-irrational-season-3-renewed-canceled-premiere-date-cast-trailer/). It stars [Jesse L. Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/jesse-l-martin) as Alec Mercer, a professor of behavioral science who lends his expertise in psychology, body language, and emotion to high-stakes cases for governments, law enforcement, and corporations[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16288838/) • [3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_irrational). The series is based on the nonfiction book *Predictably Irrational* by behavioral economist [Dan Ariely](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-ariely)[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/1858364/why-nbc-canceled-the-irrational/). NBC canceled it in May 2025 after two seasons and 29 episodes[5](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/) • [6](https://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2025/05/the-irrational-canceled-by-nbc.html).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Network and run | NBC, September 25, 2023 to March 25, 2025; two seasons, 29 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16288838/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1191020/the-irrational-season-3-renewed-canceled-premiere-date-cast-trailer/) • [6](https://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2025/05/the-irrational-canceled-by-nbc.html) |
| Creator | Arika Lisanne Mittman, also showrunner and executive producer[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16288838/) • [7](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2023/10/10/understanding-the-irrational-with-creator-showrunner-arika-lisanne-mittman/) |
| Lead | Jesse L. Martin as Professor Alec Mercer, a behavioral scientist who consults for the FBI and other clients[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/1858364/why-nbc-canceled-the-irrational/) • [8](https://www.thewrap.com/the-irrational-season-2-episode-1-arika-mittman-interview/) |
| Source material | Dan Ariely's nonfiction book *Predictably Irrational*[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/1858364/why-nbc-canceled-the-irrational/) |
| Season 1 ratings | 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 3.44 million viewers (live plus same-day and DVR through 3:00 AM)[9](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-season-two-ratings/) |
| Season 2 ratings | 0.18→0.17 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.09 million viewers, down 37% in the demo and 39% in viewership from Season 1[5](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/) |
| Critical reception | Season 1 scored 47% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (17 reviews) and 73% on the Popcornmeter; Metacritic gave Season 1 a score of 55[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_irrational) • [10](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-irrational/) |
| Cancellation | Announced May 9, 2025, the same day NBC canceled Found, Lopez vs. Lopez, Night Court, and Suits LA[5](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/) |
## Premise and characters
The series follows Alec Mercer (Jesse L. Martin), a university professor and researcher who uses his expertise in human behavior to help the FBI and other clients solve complicated cases, applying social-science experiments and an unconventional approach to understanding why people act irrationally[8](https://www.thewrap.com/the-irrational-season-2-episode-1-arika-mittman-interview/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1191020/the-irrational-season-3-renewed-canceled-premiere-date-cast-trailer/). Creator Arika Lisanne Mittman, a television writer and showrunner who also executive produces NBC's *La Brea*, described the show as using Mercer's skill at breaking down what goes on within the human psyche to aid in murders, mysteries, and puzzles week to week[7](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2023/10/10/understanding-the-irrational-with-creator-showrunner-arika-lisanne-mittman/) • [11](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/pressrepublican.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/20/3200c3f4-541c-11ee-a5da-1f49f3c67b48/6504e36bdb896.pdf.pdf).
The supporting cast includes Maahra Hill as Marisa Clark, Alec's estranged wife and an FBI agent; Travina Springer as his tech-savvy younger sister Kylie; Molly Kunz and Arash DeMaxi as his graduate-student assistants Phoebe and Rizwan; and [Karen David](https://www.edgepedia.org/karen-david) as Rose, his girlfriend[5](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1191020/the-irrational-season-3-renewed-canceled-premiere-date-cast-trailer/). A continuing storyline concerns Alec's past: years earlier he was the victim of a church bombing, his early research was motivated by that trauma, and his missing memories begin to resurface when a convicted bomber comes up for parole[5](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/).
## Production and broadcast history
The series premiered on September 25, 2023[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16288838/). Because seven installments had been completed in advance of the WGA and [SAG-AFTRA](https://www.edgepedia.org/sag-aftra) labor actions, which halted production for several months, the series belonged to the small group of programs able to broadcast new episodes during the autumn of 2023[12](https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2024/02/19/the-irrational-season-1-arika-lisanne-mittman-interview/). NBC renewed it for a second season on November 30, 2023[13](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-season-one-ratings/), and the second season premiered in October 2024[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_irrational).
**The musical episode.** Season 2 included "Suddenly Alec", in which Alec and Rose go undercover in a community theater production of *Little Shop of Horrors* to solve an actor's murder[14](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/the-irrational-season-2-release-date-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know). Martin and David sang a duet from the show[15](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-irrational-cancelled-season-3-nbc-1235418422/). Mittman said that getting Martin, whose Broadway breakthrough was *Rent*, to sing as Alec was a goal from the start, but that Martin would only do it if it were organic to the character; Martin and David proposed the undercover-theater idea, and NBC allowed the budget for a real musical[16](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-irrational-showrunner-optimistic-season-3-renewal-im-extra-bummed-nbc-cancellation).
## Reception
Critical response to the first season was mixed. The season scored 47% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer from 17 reviews, while audiences gave it 73% on the Popcornmeter[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_irrational). Metacritic assigned Season 1 a score of 55 based on 14 critic reviews[10](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-irrational/). Reviewers described it as a network procedural with a psychological angle: TVLine wrote that it "puts a fun spin on the procedural formula, but it's dragged down by clichés and convenient plot twists", and [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) called it "a pretty average network procedural" that sticks to a well-established genre formula[17](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-irrational/critic-reviews/). On IMDb the series holds a 7.0/10 rating from about 7,400 users[1](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16288838/).
## Ratings and cancellation
Season 1 averaged a 0.27 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 3.44 million viewers[9](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-season-two-ratings/). Season 2, airing on Tuesday nights, averaged a 0.17 rating and 2.09 million viewers including DVR playback through 3:00 AM, down 37% in the demo and 39% in viewership[5](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/). Counting seven days of delayed playback, TVLine put the season-to-date average at 4.4 million total viewers, down 4% from Season 1 and ranking seventh of the 11 dramas NBC aired that season[15](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-irrational-cancelled-season-3-nbc-1235418422/).
NBC canceled the series on May 9, 2025, two seasons in, alongside Found, Lopez vs. Lopez, [Night Court](https://www.edgepedia.org/night-court), and [Suits LA](https://www.edgepedia.org/suits-la)[5](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/) • [18](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2025/05/10/ncancellations/2471746874601/). Per Deadline, the ratings decline from Season 1 to Season 2 and a fall primetime lineup crowded with NBA games contributed to the decision, though it was reportedly difficult because of Martin's popularity at the network from his years on *Law & Order*[16](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-irrational-showrunner-optimistic-season-3-renewal-im-extra-bummed-nbc-cancellation). The TV Ratings Guide noted that the 0.17 average made it one of the lowest-rated series on broadcast television, and that it had secured its renewal in the strike-affected 2023-24 season, when NBC had only two new dramas[6](https://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2025/05/the-irrational-canceled-by-nbc.html).
[The Season](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-season) 2 finale aired March 25, 2025 and was written as a season rather than a series ending: Rose gives up the spy life to continue her relationship with Alec and opens her own agency in Washington, D.C., while Alec discovers he has been followed[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1191020/the-irrational-season-3-renewed-canceled-premiere-date-cast-trailer/) • [16](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-irrational-showrunner-optimistic-season-3-renewal-im-extra-bummed-nbc-cancellation). Mittman said she had planned a tease for a possible third season, in which the identity of the person following Alec would have been revealed, but no reports emerged of the show being shopped to another network or platform[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/1191020/the-irrational-season-3-renewed-canceled-premiere-date-cast-trailer/) • [16](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-irrational-showrunner-optimistic-season-3-renewal-im-extra-bummed-nbc-cancellation). The series streams on Peacock[16](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-irrational-showrunner-optimistic-season-3-renewal-im-extra-bummed-nbc-cancellation).
## References
1. [The Irrational (TV Series 2023–2025), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt16288838/)
2. ['The Irrational' Canceled After 2 Seasons, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/1191020/the-irrational-season-3-renewed-canceled-premiere-date-cast-trailer/)
3. [The Irrational, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the_irrational)
4. [Why NBC Canceled The Irrational After Two Seasons, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/1858364/why-nbc-canceled-the-irrational/)
5. [The Irrational: Cancelled by NBC; Crime Drama Series Not Returning for a Third Season, TV Series Finale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-cancelled-by-nbc-crime-drama-series-not-returning-for-a-third-season/)
6. [The Irrational Canceled by NBC, The TV Ratings Guide](https://www.thetvratingsguide.com/2025/05/the-irrational-canceled-by-nbc.html)
7. [Understanding 'The Irrational' with Creator/Showrunner Arika Lisanne Mittman, The Nerds of Color](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2023/10/10/understanding-the-irrational-with-creator-showrunner-arika-lisanne-mittman/)
8. [The Irrational Creator Breaks Down Season 2 Premiere, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/the-irrational-season-2-episode-1-arika-mittman-interview/)
9. [The Irrational: Season Two Ratings + Viewer Votes, TV Series Finale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-season-two-ratings/)
10. [The Irrational Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-irrational/)
11. [Cover Story on The Irrational premiere, Press-Republican](https://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/pressrepublican.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/20/3200c3f4-541c-11ee-a5da-1f49f3c67b48/6504e36bdb896.pdf.pdf)
12. [THE IRRATIONAL: Arika Lisanne Mittman on How the Writers Incorporated an Extra Episode into Season 1, Give Me My Remote](https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2024/02/19/the-irrational-season-1-arika-lisanne-mittman-interview/)
13. [The Irrational: Season One Ratings, TV Series Finale](https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/the-irrational-season-one-ratings/)
14. [The Irrational season 2: next episode, cast, plot and everything we know, What to Watch](https://www.whattowatch.com/watching-guides/the-irrational-season-2-release-date-cast-plot-and-everything-we-know)
15. ['The Irrational' Cancelled - No Season 3 For NBC Series, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/news/the-irrational-cancelled-season-3-nbc-1235418422/)
16. ['I Would Love To Keep Making It': The Irrational Showrunner Was Optimistic About A Season 3 Renewal, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/the-irrational-showrunner-optimistic-season-3-renewal-im-extra-bummed-nbc-cancellation)
17. [The Irrational critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-irrational/critic-reviews/)
18. [NBC cancels 'Night Court,' 'Suits: LA,' 'Found,' 'The Irrational', UPI](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2025/05/10/ncancellations/2471746874601/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Crime, police, and detective series › American crime series › Private detective and mystery series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license