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.
Deadline reports that ABC canceled the most shows yesterday with six series getting the ax, some of which came as quite the surprise. Agent Carter was 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 in Agents 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. While Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. had already been renewed earlier this year, the network declined to pickup the spinoff Marvel’s Most Wanted, which would have followed Adrianne Palicki’s Bobbi Morse, a.k.a. Mockingbird, and Nick Blood’s Lance Hunter.
ABC also canceled Castle after eight seasons, following reports from last month that longtime series stars Stana Katic and Tamala Jones were leaving the series. The network also canceled Nashville after four seasons, Galavant after two seasons and rookie shows The Family and The 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, Grandfathered and The Grinder, Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life and Bordertown, 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 dramas Lethal Weapon, The Exorcist, Pitch and APB, along with comedies The Mick and Making 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 dramas Game of Silence, Heartbeat, and comedies Crowded and Telenovela, but rookie shows weren’t the one ones to go on NBC. The network also gave the axe to Undateable after three seasons with the most recent season comprised of all live episodes. MTV has also canceled its series Faking It after three seasons. We’ll continue to keep you posted with all of the networks’ cancellations as soon as we have more details.
Finally, The CW canceled the drama thriller Containment, but they also picked up the superhero series Supergirl, which is shifting from CBS next season. CBS also gave the ax to CSI: Cyber, which brings an end to the entire CSI franchise 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.