No Season 3 for the cable drama.
April 14, 2017
It is being reported that WGN America is cancelling Outsiders after two seasons. The news, which comes ahead of the drama's sophomore finale on April 25, is a bit of a surprise considering the series is the cable network's highest-rated scripted original.
According to network boss Peter Kern, the move to end the series was the result of a decision to focus on a more diverse programming strategy aimed at reaching a broader audience. What that means exactly is not yet clear, though it does leave only Underground as WGN America's only remaining original scripted drama.
Outsiders follows a clan that has spent decades living off the grid in rural Kentucky. Following their own rules outside of the law, they will do whatever it takes to defend their way of life on their mountaintop residence in the mysterious and rugged hills of modern-day Appalachia.
Comments (52)
The TV Industry is cold-blooded, just as any business I have worked for.
It just sucks.
Well, for one thing, it was the #1 show on a network with 3 shows (two now canceled,) so...
But also, ranking doesn't matter if the ratings suck. What matters if what it draws. If it costs $X million to make an episode of TV, and that episode generates #Y million (or even $Y thousand, which may be possible as shows sometimes are loss-leaders to draw viewers to the channel,) then you have to ask if $Y minus $X is good business.
Networks do try to tie quality and quantity together, but if they don't have quantity, there's no money to spend on quality. Outsiders wasn't a cheap show; Cops reruns are cheap. WGNA tried to be one of the networks that fought against being cheap in order to be recognized as good, but it didn't happen for them. (it worked for FX, it worked for AMC ... it did not work for WGNA.)
Had Outsiders and Manhattan and Salem been award-winners and ratings boosters, then that could have been enough to build a network on and they could have continued to make its struggling-but-good shows while cruising on the carry-over into old reruns (which would have seen a boost from people knowing the channel existed thanks to tuning into the new shows.)
Now it's pretty much all toppled. Outsiders ratings were weak (despite being #1,) we'll see what life Underground has, and WIP titles like Skins may not make it to air.
The math is super easy to do at this point. Because being #1 on a failing network is like having the best grades in a family of high-school drop-outs.
Every good scripted show gets cancelled after 1 or 2 seasons and I'm just done with it.
I think the good shows are cancelled because most can't keep up with the story line.. sad.
I vowed to never pick up a new show on CBS.. its been 5 years and I'm feeling good!!
(Page 2 of 6) < Previous Next >