Bluff City Law
The ratings of a TV show is what determines whether it will be continuing for a follow-up season. Among NBC’s new lineup of shows to be released, Bluff City Law was sadly not included, thus ending its short ten-episode run.
One of NBC’s lowest-rated TV shows in the previous season, Bluff City Law, only had 3.66 million viewers. Although it had a relatively large number of viewers, the amount of money the show returned to the network didn’t justify another season, and insiders have reported that the investments made for the first season were simply too high. This is sad news since critics and audiences thought the show to be full of potential when it first came out. It’s sad to know that this story won’t be going anywhere, anytime soon.
Vida
In the TV business, it’ll be fair to say that networks create shows that are intended for a specific audience. More often than not, when a network’s show receives a low rating, it can still succeed on other platforms that can reach a show’s target audience.
Although the show said its farewell to the Starz network after its third season, Vida’s showrunner, Tanya Saracho, has stated that she still believes the series has plenty of gas in its tank. Along with Saracho, the show’s cast members also share the same sentiments. Indeed, the show’s fans, who are craving for more of the niche drama-comedy series, said as much. The show’s lead actress, Mishel Prada, pitched an interesting spin-off for the series, so it’s only a matter of time before the show is renewed by Starz or another network.
The Magicians
When a show reaches its peak as far as narrative goes, then that’s the ideal time for its creators to prepare for its conclusion. At the financial side of filmmaking, when a story becomes a success after its first outing, it becomes a profitable project, and audiences end up wanting a follow-up season. However, with each new installment, production costs eventually increase to the degree that its remaining budget isn’t enough for a follow-up series or sequel.
Syfy’s fantasy series The Magicians finally ended its run on the network after its fifth season. Because the show’s later seasons didn’t get high ratings as its earlier ones did, the show’s creators decided that it was time for the series to finish. And, happily, the producers were able to give the characters a well-deserved send-off.
Soundtrack
What was first titled as Mixtape, Netflix’s Soundtrack got the opportunity to at least tell a season’s worth of story before shutting its doors. The show initially premiered its pilot episode at Fox’s network as Mixtape and eventually released its remaining episodes on Netflix under its new title, Soundtrack.
With Soundtrack’s creator, Joshua Safran, insistent that his musical drama series has plenty of gas left in its tank, the show’s fans became reasonably optimistic. Before the series premiered its first episode, Safran was already preparing for its second season, although he wasn’t given the green light for it at the time. With Soundtrack now ejected from Netflix’s circulation, all that’s left now for the series is to have another network help Safran produce the rest of his story.
Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina
Another show from Netflix’s catalog, the Riverdale spin-off series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, was canceled after its four-season run. After getting most of its fans from Riverdale, the show eventually made a name for itself after fans were introduced to its story’s supernatural elements.
The show started with high ratings from both viewers and critics. However, as its story progressed — and gradually became more convoluted with plot points — the show experienced a gradual dip in its ratings. Though the fans still love the show through and through, Netflix announced the show’s sudden cancelation. This left Sabrina’s cast and crew with nothing else to do but focus their investments on making the show’s final season as satisfying as possible for their fans.
Ambitions
With recent world events bearing mostly bad news for people of all walks of life, including the TV show business, OWN’s family drama, Ambitions, officially ended after its first season. However, the network is still more than optimistic about collaborating with the show’s cast and crew for future projects.
With the show revolving around the dynamic relationship between the story’s protagonist, the attorney Stephen Carlisle, her family, friends, and rivals, Ambitions possessed a premise worthy of creating a TV show around. Sadly, the show’s ratings weren’t all that impressive, and it plummeted as the season progressed. As a result, Ambitions was removed from OWN’s circulation to make way for the network’s new releases for next season. Coincidentally, the show’s final episode was titled “Save the Best for Last.”
Ray Donovan
One of Showtime’s record-breaking series, Ray Donovan, was prematurely canceled after its seventh season. This news came as a surprise to the fans and the show’s cast and crew as well, who worked on Ray Donovan’s seventh season as if there was still a follow-up installment for them to work on afterward.
With the show’s growing production costs through each season, studio executives concluded that Ray Donovan was simply too expensive to continue producing. However, Liev Schreiber, who takes credit for being the show’s titular character, subtly nudged “Donofans” through social media platforms to express their thoughts about its cancelation to the network’s studio executives. Eventually, the actor followed up his previous post with an announcement that showed a glint of hope that a season eight might happen soon. At these moments, a little optimism won’t hurt anyone.
The Rook
This was another show that sadly ended before it could even begin. Starz’s The Rook ended its run after only one season – to make things worse, it ended with a cliffhanger. Like many projects adapted from another medium, a fair number of the TV show’s viewers were disappointed with the show’s reinterpretation of the original story – to the degree that they were even happy it got canceled.
However, a significant portion of the sci-fi series’ viewers also loved the new interpretation of the story, and, of course, were saddened by its cancelation. The first season mostly focused on the protagonist, and her attempts to regain her footing amidst the many conflicts occurring in her world. The Rook, in the end, never got to tell the story that it was hoping to convey.
Sweetbitter
Projects produced by high-profile companies are, to a huge degree, subject to higher expectations. For Starz’s drama-comedy series, Sweetbitter, this was, unfortunately, the case. With the show’s production backed by the network’s parent company, Lionsgate, Sweetbitter’s cancelation still came as a surprise to viewers even though it was already given a low rating.
No matter how much potential a show might have during its run, the way the show is executed will always be something that will leave a long-lasting impression on viewers. This show initially wanted to convey the hustle and bustle of life working in a restaurant. But Sweetbitter’s overall run, in the end, was deemed undercooked by the majority of its viewers and critics, and because of this, there’s no chance of a follow-up season.
Indebted
Indebted, which is another one of NBC’s freshman series, has been removed from the network’s circulation alongside the legal drama Bluff City Law. Because of the show’s painfully low ratings, network executives concluded that their investments are better off spent elsewhere.
Indebted’s story revolves around a young couple, Rebecca and Dave, trying to regain their lives only for it to be bombarded by the sudden arrival of Dave’s now-broke parents. The story had the potential to become a hit comedy show — unfortunately, it didn’t happen. Indebted’s first – and, now, only – season was massively panned by its audiences, and it was given negative reviews and a low rating. The show was inevitably scrapped to provide the network with room for other shows to release.