TV Bits: 'Timeless' Uncanceled, CBS And FOX Cancellations, Renewals & More
Since it's upfronts week for all the major TV networks, plenty of news about all your favorite shows has been hitting the web recently. Last week brought a slew of cancellations and renewals for shows on ABC and NBC, and now we have an update on the fate of a bunch of shows over at FOX and CBS.
If you're having trouble keeping up with all the renewals and cancellations so far, don't worry, because we'll have a round-up of which shows are returning, and which ones have been given the axe. But for now, this edition of TV Bits has great news for Timeless viewers and Elementary fans, bad news Scream Queens and 2 Broke Girls fans and potentially interesting news for people who want to get close to San Diego Comic-Con without actually being at the convention itself. Get details on all that and more after the jump.
CBS Renews Elementary and The Amazing Race
Along with staple shows like The Big Bang Theory, NCIS, Mom and Criminal Minds, CBS has given a a sixth season order to the drama series Elementary starring Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and his counterpart Watson. Though the show had been relegated to Sunday nights, often airing at an irregular time due to delays caused by NFL games, the show still has international appeal that is helping to keep it alive and justified a new season.
Joining Elementary is the reality show hit The Amazing Race, getting its 30th season after the most recent season replaced the low-rated Training Day series on the network. Both of the shows are late renewals following the 18 returning that were already renewed by CBS back in March.
2 Broke Girls, The Odd Couple & More Canceled at CBS
Though CBS renewed plenty of shows, and they have several new series on the horizon for the 2017-2018 season (we'll see trailers for them later this week), they also gave the axe to plenty of shows as well. Several new series have already been canceled, but a few that have been around for awhile have been taken out as well.
First up, 2 Broke Girls has been canceled after six seasons at the network. According to Deadline there were some extended negotiations trying to strike a deal for a sixth season, but it just didn't work out. They even tried to get an order for a shorter season, but a deal just couldn't be finalized between CBS and Warner Bros. Television.
Speaking of duos failing to return for another season, CBS has also canceled The Odd Couple remake starring Matthew Perry and Thomas Lennon. The fate of the show seemed sealed this past November when CBS decided not to extend the third season beyond its initial 13 episode order, and now it's official.
Also joining the line-up of canceled shows is the crime drama spin-off Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. The series focused on the specialized International Division of the FBI tasked with solving crimes and coming to the rescue of Americans who find themselves in danger while abroad. CBS hoped to find success with the show much like their NCIS spin-offs that take place in Los Angeles and New Orleans, but the series never quite had the same success.
Finally, The Great Indoors has been canceled after just a single season. The show starred Joel McHale as a rugged outdoor magazine reporter forced to deal with a staff of millennials addicted to their phones. Much of the comedy came from the generation gap between McHale and the rest of his staff, but apparently it just didn't work, even for the older demographic that frequently tunes in to CBS.
NBC Turns Back the Clock on Timeless Cancellation
Last week, the sci-fi series Timeless was canceled, and that didn't sit well with fans. In fact, fans were so upset that their outcry was enough to change NBC's mind about their decision. The Wrap learned from NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt fans really made a difference by voicing their displeasure about the show's cancellation, "We heard from fans and the outcry and we woke up the next morning and thought, 'Let's figure out how to bring it back,'"
The solution was to renew the series for a second season with 10 episodes that will air sometime in 2018. However, unless the show picks up some more numbers, I can't imagine it getting picked up for a third season. Hopefully the 10 new episodes will wrap things up for fans just in case this is the last season it gets.
FOX Renews The Exorcist, Cancels Scream Queens
FOX took a chance on the series adaptation of William Peter Blatty's bestselling novel turned 1973 horror classic The Exorcist, and though it only received solid ratings along with a positive critical reception, apparently that was enough to bring the show back for a second season. As of now there's no word on what direction the second season will take, but it will apparently open up a new chapter that hasn't been explored before.
Though FOX will bring more horror to the small screen with a new season of The Exorcist, they're pulling it back by canceling another show. Scream Queens won't be coming back for a third season after the show averaged only 2.3 million viewers this season. The series joins Rosewood and Sleepy Hollow which were also canceled by FOX recently.
24: Legacy and Prison Break Are Done for the Time Being
For those fans who were excited to see 24 and Prison Break revived in a new way, don't expect to see more from either show in the near future.
Fox co-chairman and CEO Gary Newman told Deadline that there were "no plans right now" to have any more Prison Break episodes after the most recent revival. However, that doesn't mean they won't revisit the show again sometime down the road. They loved the new season, and if there was an idea for the show to come back that warranted another revival, then they would seriously consider it.
As for 24: Legacy, any continuance of the spin-off sequel series starring Straight Outta Compton star Corey Hawkins will have to wait until the actor is done with his stint on a stage adaptation of Six Degrees of Separation. His schedule won't allow for another season to be considered for the fall, but that doesn't mean it can't come back at some point. In fact, FOX executives already had a plan to meet with executive producer Howard Gordon to figure out where the show can go next.
Zachary Levi Hosting SyFy's Live from Comic-Con Series
If you love hearing about all the news that comes out of San Diego Comic-Con but you're bummed about not being able to be among the massive geek crowd in attendance, SyFy may have the next best thing.
The cable channel has announced (via Deadline) that their series SyFy Presents Live from Comic-Con will return this summer, and this time it will be hosted by Chuck star Zachary Levi.The show will be broadcast from July 20-22 airing late in the evenings at 11pm ET/PT in order to have enough time to round up the convention's biggest stories.
Zachary Levi has been a regular at Comic-Con, even without anything to promote, because he started his own companion convention very close to the actual Comic-Con in San Diego. It was called Nerd HQ, and it set up shop at the nearby baseball stadium Petco Park. Fans didn't need a badge to get in, and it provided access to video games, even more panels and even some late night festivities involving some of the biggest stars of popular geek shows. However, this year Nerd HQ won't be returning to Comic-Con, though it's not clear why. At least fans will still get their dose of Zachary Levi's nerdiness another way.
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That's all for this edition of TV Bits. Stay tuned as more small screen news comes from the various networks during upfronts week, and we'll bring you all the important information you need to know.