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NBC’s unorthodox procedural,The Irrational, returned for a second season in late 2024, but will the Jesse L. Martin TV vehicle be renewed for season 3? Debuting in fall 2023 (and loosely based on the life of Dan Ariely),The Irrationalconcerns Professor Alec Mercer (Martin) who uses his knowledge of human behavior to assist the police in cracking some of their toughest cases. Haunted by a bombing which left him permanently scarred, Mercer attempts to pull together the irrationality of the human mind into a pattern that can be observed and used for good.
NBC is no stranger to producing some ofthe best TV procedurals, butThe Irrationalis a unique case nevertheless. Debuting during NBC’s strike-affected fall season in 2023,The Irrationalwas one of the few new series which helped prop up the network as it was forced to hold its most popular shows over until mid-season. Naturally,The Irrationalgarnered enough viewers to score a second season, but it remains to be seen if it can maintain that audience now that the TV schedule has returned to normal. Because of this,The Irrationalseason 3 is not confirmed yet.
The Irrational Season 3 Is Not Confirmed
NBC Hasn’t Ordered Another Season Yet
ShouldThe Irrationalcontinue to draw in viewers, it will only be a matter of time until NBC picks it up for a third season.
The Irrationalseason 1 was a ratings bonanza, and it only made sense that the network would quickly order a sophomore outing. However,NBC has yet to make a move concerning season 3, though that shouldn’t be cause for alarm quite yet. ThoughThe Irrationalhas all the makings of a long-running smash, season 2 is really going to be the show’s first true test, and it will have to compete with a slew of more recognizable competition throughout its second season.
11 TV Shows Canceled During The 2023 Strikes
The 2023 SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes were two of the longest in the unions' histories. During those months, a number of series were sadly canceled.
The strike-affected 2023 fall TV schedule was presided over by newcomers likeThe Irrationaland NBC’sFound, buttheir sophomore seasons will reveal if their popularity was a fluke or if the shows are legitimately popular. ShouldThe Irrationalcontinue to draw in viewers, it will only be a matter of time until NBC picks it up for a third season. With that in mind, it’s unclear if the decision will happen during the season, or if the network will opt to wait until the entire season is completed.
The Irrational Season 3 Cast Details
Will Professor Alec Mercer Return For More Cases?
While the fullcast ofThe Irrationalseason 3 won’t be known for some time, there are a host of characters that are a near certainty to return.Leading the charge will be NBC veteran Jesse L. Martin as the brilliant but unorthodox Professor Alec Mercer,and he’ll be joined by his ex-wife and law enforcement colleague, FBI Agent Marisa Clark (played by Maahra Hill). Since the show is a procedural,the bulk of the cast is expected to reprise their roles, including Arash DeMaxi as Rizwan and Molly Kunz as Phoebe.
Though other main cast members like Travina Springer, who plays Alec’s sister Kylie, will likely return, newcomers like Ron Canada as Alec and Kylie’s father are less certain. As with any weekly procedural,it’s also expected thatThe Irrationalseason 3 will employ a wealth of guest starsthroughout, but it’s impossible to guess who those actors will be until more information is made available.
The Irrational Season 3 Story Details
More Cases For Alec & The Team To Crack
Unlike other procedurals which tend to rely on weekly storylines without an overarching story,The Irrationalestablished plot lines throughout its narrative. Season 1 began the trend by featuring an ongoing domestic terrorism angle, and season 2 will probably stretch out Rose’s kidnapping and flesh it out into a larger story. With that in mind, season 3 ofThe Irrationalwill probably have its own story arc, but it’s impossible to know what that will be until season 2 is completed.
Though the show does differentiate itself from other procedurals by introducing an overarching narrative,The Irrationalstill checks many of the same boxes as its contemporaries. That means that the bulk of each season is dominated by weekly stories that highlight a specific case for the team to solve. However, NBC will likely remain tight-lipped about weekly plots in order to keep the series exciting.
The Irrational
Cast
Based on the novel by Dan Ariely, The Irrational is a crime drama series created by Arika Mittman. Alec Mercer, a behavioral psychology professor, is enlisted for his uncanny ability to profile and analyze people. Helping to solve several cases for governing bodies, Mercer’s world is shaken when he finally meets his equal in a female suspect in a domestic terror case.
