High Fidelity
Streaming services have a different way of evaluating the profitability of their shows. Aside from views, streaming services also consider the number of new subscribers a show can bring compared to its production costs – popularity is often a significant factor in a project’s success and longevity.
Unfortunately, Hulu’s well-loved series High Fidelity has become another victim of the proverbial ax that has slain many shows. Though the show received positive reviews from both viewers and critics, High Fidelity didn’t bring enough new subscribers to the streaming service for it to be considered among its more profitable investments. Though the show’s first – and, sadly, only – season ended with a sense of closure, the Zoë Kravitz-led comedy-drama still had so much potential. It goes to show that some wishes are too good to become a reality.
Anne With An E
It is always a big surprise to discover an award-winning show getting canceled. However, that was the case for CBC and Netflix’s award-winning Canadian series Anne with an E. With the series receiving praise from its viewers and critics. It even got two Canadian Screen Awards for Best Drama Series under its credit. It is no wonder that fans have taken to social media platforms to protest against the show’s cancelation.
Although films and series are potential subjects of art, they are still heavily bound as a business project. Anne with an E, though widely-loved, wasn’t enough in terms of the number of new viewers it introduced to the platform. However, with fans voicing their thoughts for the series’ revival bringing in more people to the series, who knows what the show’s fate will be in the near future.
Deputy
With recent world events causing significant changes behind TV line-ups, many networks have decided to kill off many of their low-rated shows – the proverbial ax has killed off so many shows at this point that it may need a lawyer. Among the many victims of this business decision was Fox’s freshman Deputy. By the end of the show’s season finale, Deputy became the second lowest-rated drama series – Almost Family is the lowest.
The show presents a modern take on the Western drama with lead actor Stephen Dorff, fresh from NCIS fame, playing a lawman who suddenly became the replacement sheriff of Los Angeles County after their original sheriff died. Though Deputy had an intriguing premise to play with, the show wasn’t enough to keep viewers engrossed from its premier up to its finale.
Will & Grace
One of the most-loved sitcoms to have graced people’s TV screens, Will & Grace, will be ending its story for good after its eleventh season, with the last three seasons having a three-year gap between them and the ninth season.
In many cases, history is often doomed to repeat itself. Throughout the show’s first outing from 1998 to 2006, Will & Grace faced a gradual decline in quality with each new season. Though the reboot’s number of seasons is less than half of the original, it has become apparent that it was running low on gas by the first season’s finale. With its eleventh and final season, Will & Grace’s cast and crew managed to end their story with a satisfying closure well-suited for their characters.
Stumptown
It is truly a shame to see plans be scrapped off at the last minute due to circumstances beyond producers’ control. That sentiment is what was probably revolving around ABC executives’ minds when they reverted their plans of giving the Cobie Smulders-led series, Stumptown, a second season.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting a wide variety of businesses left and right, it comes with no surprise that ABC decided to scrap a few of their shows to counter the sudden economic instability brought by recent world events. As extensive safety measures stacked on top of the show’s production cost, executives inevitably considered cutting off their investments in the graphic-novel-based series. However, there is still a glint of hope for the show since it can potentially be revived by another network soon – here’s to hoping.
Arrow
One of the most-notable superhero series adaptations to be released on TV and streaming services, Arrow has officially ended after its eight-season run. After releasing seven seasons filled with highly-praised episodes under its credit, the Arrow series’ fans and crew received the news that the eighth season will be the last one.
Although it posed as bad news for long-time fans at first, the show’s final season helped land Arrow a spot among TV’s best shows. Stephen Amell, who portrayed Oliver Queen/Green Arrow, openly said that it is better for the series to end at a very high note rather than drag on and become stagnant in the process. And now, with Arrow’s story having received its well-deserved ending, the show’s cast and crew can proudly take a bow before they move on to new projects.
In The Room
Alongside E! News’ cancelation were other programs like In the Room and Pop of the Morning. The three celebrity news programs have recently been cut out of circulation partially due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The other reason is that NBC Universal, the company that owns the E! network, has recently been focusing their investment money on re-establishing its programs and internal working force to efficiently counter the economic instability and the other inconveniences brought by the pandemic.
Because of the network’s restructuring due to the pandemic, many of its staff were laid off, and it had to cancel three of its popular shows to transition through the changes as smoothly as possible. In contrast, others were transferred to other positions. Hopefully, once the network and its workflow has regained stability, these shows’ productions may eventually resume as well.
I Am Not Okay With This
In recent months, filming for shows and movies have gradually resumed. However, cast and crew are required to follow extensive safety protocols before entering and leaving the set to ensure their safety. Unfortunately, not all projects can afford the added safety measure expenses because much of their investments have already been spent. Such was the case for Netflix’s two series, The Society and I Am Not Okay With This. Safe to say, many members of society were not okay with the announcement.
Although these shows were initially greenlit for follow-up seasons and were widely-loved by viewers, the sudden outbreak made each of the shows’ second season too much of a hassle to produce. This led Netflix to pull the plug on both productions.
Schitt’s Creek
A story is considered good if it can resonate well with its audience from start to finish. Luckily, the creators behind the comedy TV series Schitt’s Creek managed to find the right moment to end their widely-loved show.
Most of the time, many of the stories we know, whether from movies, shows, or books, have an engaging story at the beginning only to finish the protagonist’s journey with an awkward ending — like a bitter aftertaste ruining a good meal. Fortunately, for Schitt’s Creek, the show ended its six-season run with a positive reception from its audience. According to Dan Levy, the show’s creator, it is better for a show to end with a consistent set of great-quality episodes rather than keep it going until it becomes stale and out of gas.
If Loving You Is Wrong
One of OWN’s top-rated series, If Loving You Is Wrong, ended its run after their sixth and final season. The show’s fans were filled with excitement before the last season’s premiere because of the promise that the story would have a satisfying conclusion.
If there is one good thing about having the same people who wrote a story take responsibility for its directing, it is that their story’s vision will not be lost in translation since they can fully grasp how it should be executed. With Tyler Perry taking credit for producing, creating, directing, and writing the show, it’s safe to say that the show will be concluding its story while answering all the questions left in the open from its previous seasons.