'Young Rock' goes down for the count; NBC cancels show after 3 seasons

Bob Mehr, Memphis Commercial Appeal
·2 min read
2
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

"Young Rock," the NBC television series that chronicled the pre-stardom career and misadventures of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, has been canceled.

On Friday, NBC confirmed the show, which shot its third season in Memphis, would not get an order for a fourth.

The program, which premiered in 2021, had been a ratings winner in its first couple seasons, but lost significant viewership this past season. Season three of "Young Rock" averaged 1.4 million viewers and a 0.25 rating in the 18 to 49 demographic, according to live plus same-day Nielsen data, compared to Season 2’s average of 2.23 million viewers and a 0.39 rating.

Co-created by Nahnatchka Khan and Jeff Chiang, "Young Rock" was a production, in part, of Johnson's Seven Bucks Productions, Universal Television, Fierce Baby Productions and World Wrestling Entertainment.

"Young Rock" was narrated by and sometimes featured Johnson, the professional wrestler-turned-actor whose credits include "Hercules," the recent "Jungle Cruise" and several "Fast and Furious" movies.

THE ROCK IN MEMPHIS: The Rock meets excited Memphis teen, and millions love it

The episodes were presented as flashbacks, with actors playing The Rock as a child, a high school student and a young man. The concept of the series centered on Johnson running for president of the United States in 2032, with the stories that made up the episodes presented as campaign-trail reminiscences.

"Young Rock" was based in Australia for seasons one and two, but eventually moved its production to Memphis for season three. The show became the first major film or television project to be based in Memphis since "Bluff City Law," the legal drama with Jimmy Smits that was shot here in 2019 and lasted a single season on NBC.

Uli Latukefu, left, and Darin Powell, right, act as a scene is filmed for season three of “Young Rock” on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, at FedExForum. The comedy show centers around the life of Dwayne “The Rock" Johnson.
Uli Latukefu, left, and Darin Powell, right, act as a scene is filmed for season three of “Young Rock” on Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022, at FedExForum. The comedy show centers around the life of Dwayne “The Rock" Johnson.

The "Young Rock" local production offices opened near Downtown in July 2022. The show shot in Memphis over the next six months, using some 60-plus locations in town, and hiring local crews and vendors, before wrapping up production in January.

"Young Rock" was only the fourth primetime scripted series to be shot in Memphis, after others "Bluff City Law," CMT's "Sun Records" (2017) and ABC's "Elvis" (1990).

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Dwayne Johnson show 'Young Rock' canceled by NBC after 3 seasons