It's the late 19th century and the mysterious Dracula has arrived in London, posing as an American entrepreneur who wants to bring modern science to Victorian society. But he has another reason for his travels: He hopes to take revenge on those who cursed him with immortality centuries earlier.

NBC continued to firm up its 2014-15 schedule on Saturday, canceling rookie drama Dracula.

NBC tried to use Grimm to launch Dracula earlier in the fall -- and the sophomore run of Hannibal when it moved from Thursdays during its second season. Dracula was never a huge performer in the hour, but it was quite consistent after dipping from a strong October launch. It saw significant time-shifting, 80 percent in the demo, to an average 1.8 rating among adults 18-49 and 5 million viewers.

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The series was said to be a passion project for NBC Entertainment chairman BobGreenblatt, who courted lead Jonathan Rhys Meyers to play the titular vampire -- despite concerns over the actor's struggles with substance abuse. (Rhys Meyers, who required a sober companion accompany him to set, had part of his salary held until the first 10-episode season was completed.)

NBC remains committed to making Friday a destination for genre. The swashbuckling Crossbones, starring John Malkovich, sets up shop on the night in the summer. And don't expect Grimm to stray far from its 9 p.m. home when it returns for its previously announced fourth season in the fall. The fantasy procedural has continued to be Friday's biggest scripted draw in the key demographic and posted some of the biggest DVR gains.

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Dracula joins freshman dramas Believe, Crisis and Ironside in the canceled heap at NBC. Of the network's rookie drama class, only The Blacklist and Chicago PD will return. The writing for Dracula had been on the wall after the network picked up Constantine, its take on DC Comics' Hellblazer, which is considered a likely companion to Grimm. For its part, Hannibal will also return for a third season.