May has always been an important month for both television viewers and executives alike, with fans watching the season (or series) finales of their favorite shows, and executives deciding which shows to cancel and renew for the upcoming fall season. Every major network will hold their upfront presentations starting next week, and ahead of those big events, ABC, CBS, Fox and The CW canceled several of their programs yesterday. We have all the details below. When this story was first posted earlier today, NBC hadn’t yet canceled any of their shows, but now we have word that several of their programs will not be coming back.
Deadlinereports that ABC canceled the most shows yesterday with six series getting the ax, some of which came as quite the surprise.Agent Carterwas cancelled after its second season, despite a report that surfaced in March claiming the network was close to issuing a renewal. The show, which aired inAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Tuesday 9 PM time slot during its midseason hiatus, suffered a sharp drop in ratings this year, with the Season 2 finale down 46% from the Season 1 finale last year. WhileAgents of S.H.I.E.L.D.had already been renewed earlier this year, the network declined to pickup the spinoffMarvel’s Most Wanted, which would have followedAdrianne Palicki’s Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. Mockingbird, andNick Blood’s Lance Hunter.
ABC also canceledCastleafter eight seasons, following reports from last month that longtime series starsStana KaticandTamala Joneswere leaving the series. The network also canceledNashvilleafter four seasons,Galavantafter two seasons and rookie showsThe FamilyandThe Muppets. It isn’t clear if any of these shows will be shopped around to streaming services or different networks after their cancellation, but we’ll keep you posted if any of these shows are brought back from the dead.
Over at Fox, the network gave the ax to four different shows,GrandfatheredandThe Grinder,Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving LifeandBordertown, which represented the network’s entire crop of freshman comedy shows. The network has already picked up six new shows ahead of the upfronts, with dramasLethal Weapon,The Exorcist,PitchandAPB, along with comediesThe MickandMaking History. It isn’t known if the network will be picking up more programs before their upfront presentation in New York.
After remaining quiet yesterday while other networks axed their shows, NBC canceled a number of shows today. The network has cancelled first-year shows such as dramasGame of Silence,Heartbeat, and comediesCrowdedandTelenovela, but rookie shows weren’t the one ones to go on NBC. The network also gave the axe toUndateableafter three seasons with the most recent season comprised of all live episodes. MTV has also canceled its seriesFaking Itafter three seasons. We’ll continue to keep you posted with all of the networks' cancellations as soon as we have more details.
Finally, The CWcanceledthe drama thrillerContainment, but they also picked up the superhero seriesSupergirl, which is shifting from CBS next season. CBS also gave the ax toCSI: Cyber, which brings an end to the entireCSIfranchise after a 16 year run. We don’t know for sure if any of these networks plan on cancelling more shows next week, or what programs NBC will keep or discard, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted. Also be sure to stay tuned about whether or not any of these canceled shows may find new life at another network.
