The Show Must Go On: Renewals and Cancellations

[DanaC]

What's coming back, and what's been dropped? What are you excited about and what are you sorry to see finish?

First the sad bit: I'm a bit disappointed to lose Constantine. That show started to find its feet towards the end and I'd have been interested to see where they took it. There's some suggestion that it might get picked up elsewhere - but I suspect that ones dead for a bit at least.


Very pleased that Person of Interest got a season 5 order - but disappointed and a little perturbed that it's been shifted back on the slate and reduced to 13 episodes - sounds horribly like they're using the fifth season to close the show. As I understand it the viewing figures would be excellent for many channels but not compared to other dramas on CBS - and because CBS don't make it, they get much less of a return on it. Also, whilst it has settled to a fairly strong core audience who are happy to follow the show's path from interesting, but formulaic, weekly procedural to riveting, high-concept, serialised sci-fi thriller, the change left some viewers behind.


There was some small doubt that they'd get any fifth season at all - so at least they'll get to finish the story arc. I really hope if CBS isnt taking it further than 5 seasons, that it gets netflixed or Amazon Primed. It's telling one of the most interesting sci-fi stories on television right now.

In fact: I'd really urge anybody who drifted off during that first, fairly straightforward weekly procedural show to give it another go, because it gradually transforms into something very different.


Most exciting renewal news for me, is that Amazon Prime have order two more seasons of Ripper Street. Picking up the third season after the BBC inexplicably cancelled the show clearly paid off for them.

[xoxoxoBruce]

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[DanaC]

Hahahahahahahah

Very good.

[Gravdigr]

'The Following' has been dropped by Fox.

It was one of two shows that I actually made an effort to see. The other is/was 'NCIS' (renewed), but, I'm about ready to jump ship on this one. Entirely too predictable.

I have become rather fond of 'The Blacklist' (renewed), too, it being one of my buddy's main shows, plus, I've seen them all so far, so...

[DanaC]

I watched NCIS for a bit. I also found it a bit too predictable.

I don't mind predictability up to a point. Elementary is a show I love and that is sometimes very predictable. But it's fun. NCIS just seems a bit too one note for me.

[Gravdigr]

Yeah, all the new rubbed off of it pretty quickly.

[DanaC]

*nods*

I agree.

Have you tried watching Person of Interest, Grav?


The first season was straight up case of the week. Each week a new social security number for a person of interest, whilst drip feeding a bit of background on the characters and the development of The Machine. By season two it's neck deep in a Wire-like local government, police and organised crime conspiracy - by season three the true nature of the machine becomes apparent as does the existence of a competitor. And by season four we are in today's word, but with an unseen war played out between two vast, rival artificial intelligences and our heroes are the assets deployed by The Machine in that war - the numbers still come - but they link more and more to the wider story.

It could stand as a precursor to Terminator's Skynet.

Season 1:




Season 4:



The progression was so smooth though - really cleverly done. And still keeps some of the flavour and structure of a weekly procedural.

[Gravdigr]

Watch it all the time...Great show, I'm waiting for Shaw's return...It's just not a show I let cut into my drinking time.

[DanaC]

Oh man - Shaw was so kickass. I mean she out-Reesed, Reese.

Root's awesome too.Nobody can do off the wall dangerous quite like Amy Acker.

[Gravdigr]

One of the things that's kept me watching is the fact that the show doesn't push Reese across as a superman-that-never-gets-bested-type.

Sometimes a baddie will leave Reese in a rumpled pile on the floor. Of course, IRL the baddie would have then killed Reese, and then we have no show.

[DanaC]

*nods* yep. I also liked that the team was reduced to snatching minor victories of survival from the jaws of total defeat at the end of season 3. Did not see that coming.

[Gravdigr]

I first saw Sarah Shahi (Shaw) in an NBC cop show called "Life".

If you haven't watched it, it was very good. Quirky before quirky was cool.

It only lasted two seasons, but, they closed the show very well I thought. It's about a uniform cop that gets framed for a triple-murder, and is sentenced to life. Then, after twelve years, his lawyer finds new evidence, gets him released, and he sues for his job back, with promotions, and gets either $100,000,000, or $50,000,000 cash in a settlement. Adds a new twist on the old tv cop.

Definitely binge-worthy, I've watched the entire run about three times.

[Gravdigr]

Netflix still has them all.

[DanaC]

Cool, thanks Grav! I'll check that out.