May can be a very stressful time in the world of network TV, it is the month in which the final word comes down as to whether or not shows on the bubble will live to tell another story and fade into the memories of those that watched them (Which apparently were not enough).
In the last several days, the fate of a number of crime shows were made clear. I am going to list the fate of ABC shows in our genre, then offer up some of my own thoughts.
ABC
Canceled
FOREVER
REVENGE
Renewed
AMERICAN CRIME
CASTLE
MARVEL’S AGENT CARTER
MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD
SCANDAL
So CASTLE was renewed, maybe for the last time, and FOREVER was canceled. Honestly, I think the folks at Disney saved the wrong NYC Female Detective. I enjoyed Castle, but the show has, in my opinion, passed it’s expiration date. Forever’s Jo reminds me of Becket in season one, before they opted to sex her up, and the chemistry of Forever’s cast is wonderful. I am a big fan of Judd Hirsch, his performance on Forever continued his record of excellence, I had no doubt of the connection between his character and that of star Ioan Gruffudd. And beyond those two, Alana De La Garza (Detective Jo Martinez) and Joel David Moore (Lucas) completed what was a very fine quartet. Not only will I miss this show, I will go back from time to time, to revisit these fine folks.
Star Ioan Gruffudd posted this on Instagram:
My dear friends, fans, supporters.
Tonight, as you all now know, I received a phone call that I was hoping not to receive, and to be honest I really wasn’t expecting it. I knew the numbers hadn’t been great, but I also knew the studio and the network both loved the show, and of course that it had an incredible fan base…so I thought we were in with a pretty good chance.But sadly no, this time the cards weren’t dealt in our favor. Show business is like that. Hell, life is like that. You ride to the top of the wave and then you come crashing down again. I asked Alice to send out the sad news because I was a little bit shaken up and needed time to gather my thoughts.
So I sat down and started reading the thousands of Tweets in response to the announcement. And the more I read, the more I couldn’t believe it. The love, the sense of solidarity, the hope, the kindness, the support. Not just for the show, but for each other. And slowly I began to focus on what we had gained in the past year, rather than what we had lost in the last five minutes. I was overcome by a sense of gratitude. To have met you all and to have you all rooting for me and the show. At having a chance to play the role of my dreams, even if it was only for a year. To have been given the chance to bring Henry to life.
Watching the interaction of the FOREVER fans come together and share their love for the show has been breath-taking. It was you guys who held me up when I thought I could no longer go on. (Those days were LONG!) You made me smile when you pointed out the little things I did on screen that I thought had gone unnoticed. You gave me confidence when I accidentally found myself reading less than shining reviews. You were always with me, every step of the way, waving your flags, shouting your support for the show. It’s been an incredible, wonderful year, one that I will never, ever forget.
And guess what? The memories belong to us. We get to keep them ‘forever!’ Thanks again a million times for your unwavering support. Stay strong, be brave, and show kindness as often as you can!
Ioan xxx
There was never any question as to the fate of the two Marvel series and I am pleased to see the American Crime will come back. Season one’s cast was impressive and all delivered strong performances.
ABC is the one network that has pretty much cemented the fates of all of it’s current shows. CBS, FOX and NBC are still deciding the fate of some shows.
