Updated on May 17, 2017
With the recent what-could-have-been calamity known as the Writers’ Strike and the recent firings at ESPN, we have now reached that point each year where television networks have major choices to make in terms of its prime-time programming. The decisions of what stays on the air and what gets the axe is not always dependent upon ratings. This is especially true as viewership numbers drop as more over-the-top (OTT) services like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime look to offer new voices and fresh perspectives when it comes to televised content.
Disney may rule the cineplex with its lucrative distribution of Marvel Studios titles (The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, et al.), Pixar animation (Inside Out, Finding Dory) and its own branded-entertainment (Beauty and the Beast), but as the owner of ABC, the network made some judicious cuts the biggest of which may be canceling Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing.
Like going to work and finding an envelope containing a pink slip, or being called in to see the owner/proprietor of a business and asked to take a seat, this won’t take long, studios had to inform show creators, writing and production staffs, and actors that their programs have been yanked from the air. For some the writing was on the wall long before the season ended (aka the one-and-done seasons), for others it was a long time coming (like Fox retiring Bones after twelve seasons). Then there are those that will never have a resolution. Can you imagine Dallas being pulled before we found out who shot J.R.? That would be horrible.
So let’s look at the series programs that have been future endeavored by the major networks and OTT services.
ABC’s Last Man Standing cancelled after six seasons.
ABC (11 shows)
Last Man Standing
Conviction
Mistresses
Imaginary Mary
Dr. Ken
Secrets and Lies
American Crime
The Catch
The Real O’Neals
Time After Time
Notorious
The CW (5 shows)
No Tomorrow
Reign
Frequency
The Vampire Diaries
Beauty and the Beast
Fox pulls Sleepy Hollow after five seasons.
Fox (7 shows)
Sleepy Hollow
Rosewood
APB
Son of Zorn
Pitch
Making History
Bones
Other Fox shows that could be potentially cancelled (read: on the fence) include 24: Legacy, Scream Queens, and Wayward Pines.
CBS (8 shows)
2 Broke Girls
American Gothic
Pure Genius
BrainDead
Doubt
Training Day
The Odd Couple
The Great Indoors
Powerless gets the axe after a single season on NBC.
NBC (5 shows)
Powerless
Emerald City
Grimm
Aquarius
The Blacklist: Redemption
Netflix (3 shows)
Marco Polo
Bloodline
Longmire
Hulu (1 show)
The Mindy Project
HBO (3 shows)
Girls
Any Given Wednesday
The Leftovers
FX’s critically lauded The Americans will end after its sixth season.
FX (5 shows)
The Strain
12 Monkeys
The Americans
You’re the Worst
Man Seeking Woman (FXX)
Starz (2 shows)
Black Sails
Blunt talk
TNT (1 show)
Murder in the First
A&E (2 shows)
Bates Motel
Duck Dynasty
SyFy (2 shows)
Incorporated
Aftermath
The Disney Channel (1 show)
Girl Meets World
Amazon Prime (1 show)
Good Girls Revolt
Remember, just because you don’t see one of your favorites listed does not mean it is safe. We can expect to hear of more cancellations or non-renewals in the coming days. Consider this the first wave of cuts.
1 Comment