This time of year is always a controversial one for the US television networks. Plans are being made on which shows to greenlight for the next year – usually beginning broadcast between September and December. But to make way for those, other series are cancelled and there are usually passionate fans bemoaning their loss. The cull has already begun and it’s particularly noticeable at FOX. As mentioned elsewhere, there are serious doubts that Lethal Weapon will return after behind-the-scenes controversies.
But definitely heading to hell are The Exorcist, Designated Survivor, comedies Brooklyn Nine-Nine (though B99 has now been picked up by NBC after Hulu passed on it) and The Mick comedy/drama The Last Man on Earth and now Lucifer. The Exorcist was well reviewed over its first two seasons but was never a strong ratings contender and was always considered a longshot for renewal. However Lucifer, with its subversively diabolic anti-hero and which rounds out its third season, had a strong following and while its ratings were among FOX‘s highest, its cancellation comes as something of a surprise.
Lucifer‘s producers have expressed their disappointment and frustration, especially given the fact that the show will end on a big cliffhanger on the 14th May episode which they’d intended to resolve in the next run. Showrunner Joe Henderson admitted as much on Twitter: “So… yeah. #Lucifer has been cancelled. And it f*cking HURTS. I loved this show so damn much and everyone put their heart and soul into it. Heartbreaking doesn’t begin to describe…We created a season finale with a huge cliffhanger so that there was no way Fox could cancel us…Instead, we’re going to frustrate the hell out of you fans. I’m so sorry for that.”
There is already a campaign to shop the show to other networks/outlets, but it’s not clear if that will be viable.
