Wednesday, May 16, 2018

What's HOT & What's NOT: The state of Prime-Time television.

I'm sure it has got me into trouble more then once but I've never been afraid to share my opinion....


We've once again entered that time of year when television network executives breakout their sharpies and start "stroking off" their lists, I'm of course referring to their list of series that won't be returning in the fall. And in a world that seems to be dominated by reality television, once again this year two of the shows that I've found myself firmly attached to will not be coming back.

Lucifer is the one that I think has really upset me, it's true that season three seemed to fall off the rails a little with the whole Sinner-man story-arc, but generally speaking the series was a well-written & performed diversion to an otherwise stagnant Monday night lineup. 

The news that they would not be picked up for a fourth season seemed to take the cast and crew off-guard as well, with the hashtags #SaveLucifer and #PickupLucifer going viral on social media within a matter of hours. 

And without ruining the series finale for anyone who has yet to see it, showrunner Joe Henderson recently told Deadline that "His team created a huge cliffhanger" that's going to "Frustrate the hell out of fans so that there was no way Fox could cancel us".

Unfortunately Henderson was only 50% right, his team created a huge cliffhanger, but Fox pulled the plug and unless another network steps in to save them, fans will truly be frustrated with the unexpected series finale.

Last week when ABC decided to cancel Designated Survivor it was less then surprising.

The series which stars Kiefer Sutherland has suffered multiple turnovers as a number of cast and crew have gone through a revolving door during its two years on television. And although this series started off strong - telling the story of a man thrust into unexpected power after a horrible terrorist attack, anyone can see that it has lost its way during the course of the second season.

What made this series so compelling during season one has ultimately harmed it during season two, the lack of a conspiracy and a true villain. In my personal opinion, had the writers not introduced Terry Serpico's character, Patrick Lloyd as a rich industrialist then the second season could have been about discovering who funded the man behind the attack on Washington D.C

Having said that, The Hollywood Reporter has recently suggested that talks are underway with Netflix to revive the series for a third season with its fifth showrunner in two years. They may also want to consider talking to some new writers or their run on the video streaming service might be a short lived one. 

On the plus side, Gotham has been confirmed for its Fifth and final season. The series which has taken a unique approach to the DC Batman story, focusing on a young Bruce Wayne prior to dawning the cape and cowl, was one of many shows that Fox was rumored to be cutting.

However Variety has confirmed that the Warner Brothers produced show will be given the green-light for one final run so that fans can witness Young Master Wayne finally suit up and seize his future legacy.

And with The CW renewing both Supernatural and it's entire DC lineup of shows, my options for series to continue binge watching has never been better.... Now if The CW would only pick up Lucifer that would be perfect!

Outside of a few shows where a decision has yet to be made you can click here to see a complete list of what will and will not be returning in the fall. Let us know in the comments below what cuts have truly disappointed you and remember to join in on the conversation on the CanGeek Community Page.

Thanks for reading.

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