ABC announces that it has cancelled the crime drama Big Sky, along with two other shows. Big Sky, created by David E. Kelley, started with strong ratings when it debuted in November 2020. For its third installment (which was subtitled Deadly Trails), the show added Ackles as a regular cast member in the role of Beau Arlen. The show also added Reba McEntire, portraying a backcountry outfitter with a history of missing customers. Unfortunately, despite bringing several well-known names to the casting, those changes weren’t enough to save the series.
TVLine now confirms that ABC has cancelled Big Sky after three seasons. The network also announced that it has cancelled The Company You Keep and Alaska Daily, which both ran for one season. ABC has yet to announce a decision on four shows: The Conners, Home Economics, Not Dead Yet, and The Rookie: Feds.
Why Did ABC Just Cancel Three Shows?
These count as the first ABC cancellations during the current TV season, while shows like Abbott Elementary and Will Trent have already been renewed. Meanwhile, The Goldbergs and A Million Little Things already aired their series finales. The reason behind the recent cancellations for these three shows was that they suffered from low ratings. Big Sky season 3 saw a 16 percent decline from the previous installment. According to TVLine, it also ranked next-to-last in terms of its viewership, beating only The Rookie: Feds.
The Company You Keep – which starred Milo Ventimiglia as a conman romantically involved with a CIA agent played by Catherine Haena Kim – reportedly didn’t perform as strongly as ABC had hoped. Though there had been speculation that the adaptation of a South Korean drama might get renewed, The Company You Keep season 2 was seemingly a long shot based on its numbers. Taking into account the Live+7 playback data, which tracks live viewing in addition to a full week after, the show brought in 3.8 million total viewers. It also ranked last in the coveted 18-49 adults demographic, which is important to advertisers.
As for Alaska Daily, which starred two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank as a journalist looking for a fresh start in Anchorage, Alaska, it did have the biggest total audience compared to Big Sky and The Company You Keep. Over seven days, it racked up 5.3 million. But, more negatively, it was next-to-last in the coveted 18-49 demo for any ABC drama. All three shows have already aired what are now their final episodes.
Source: TVLine
