K.T Simpson
A lot of news to report from the small screen today, so here’s your handy guide on which TV shows have been picked up, and which ones have been canned.
FOX
Batman prequel “Gotham” has been picked up for a fourth season, joining “The Gifted” from the Marvel universe, which will see a DC and Marvel series running together. “Gotham” is based on the characters from the DC Comics.
Comedy series “The Last Man on Earth” is also being renewed for a fourth season. The aptly-titled series follows the life and adventures of the last man on earth. The show joins Fox’s “The Mick” on the comedy series renewals.
THE CW
Vampire Diaries’ spinoff “The Originals” has been given the green light for a fifth season, which “iZombie” will return for a fourth season on CW. Since the death of “The Vampire Diaries'” it’s been unclear if “The Originals” could stand on its own, but the renewal suggests there is confidence behind the scenes in the show. The zombiefied drama-rom-com “iZombie” is based on the characters from DC Entertainment’s Vertigo imprint, and has recently dropped in ratings, but hopefully the supernatural series has some guts left it in for the fourth season.
“Dynasty” has officially been picked up following its success in pilot season. The show is a reboot of the iconic 1980’s soap by “Gossip Girl” creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The reboot stars Grant Show, Elizabeth Gilles, Nathalie Kelley, Alan Dale and James Mackay among others. It follows the story of two wealthy American families and the feuds that occur over money and children.
DC drama “Black Lightning” has officially been picked up, alongside “Life Sentence” starring Lucy Hale of “Pretty Little Liars” fame.
And finally, military drama/consipiracy thriller “Valor” has also been picked up. The show focuses around a U.S Army Base housing elite helicopter pilots, and testing the boundaries between military discipline and human desire. The show will star Matt Barr.
NBC
Three of Dick Wolf’s “Chicago” dramas have been renewed, with “Chicago Fire“, “Chicago P.D.” and “Chicago Med” all locked in. Flagship show”Chicago Fire” has been given a 2 season renewal, and remains the second-highest-rated drama series on NBC behind “This is Us”. Still waiting on news if “Chicago Justice” will be renewed after its freshman series.
“Blindspot” will return for a third series, after maintaining a stable fan-base and performing reliably in 2016. The show’s premise is about a woman who wakes up naked in Times Square covered in intricate tattoos, and the complex mystery that follows.
One show that hasn’t survived is “Timeless“, which won’t be seeing in a second season. Producer Eric Kripke seems keen to find the drama a new home, but didn’t seem confident that there were any discussions in the works.
ABC
Powerhouse comedy “Modern Family” has been renewed for another 2 seasons. Key actors Ed O’Neill, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara have also closed new deals for the next 2 years, along with rumoured salary increases. The renewal will extend the show’s run to 10 seasons, as it is currently in it’s eighth season. The show has been an incredible success, probably as a relatable watch to everyone with interesting (read: unhinged) families.
There’s been quite a few victims that have fallen to the dreaded TV axe this week, most prominently “Last Man Standing” over at ABC. Though still garnering respectable ratings, Tim Allen’s follow-up to ’90s classic “Home Improvement” was reportedly quite a costly venture for the network, if even because of Allen’s lofty fee, so ABC have opted not to push forward with any more episodes. Having said that, six seasons is more than a good run for a show that, let’s face it, wasn’t half as funny or unique as Allen’s previous sitcom and wasn’t nearly as broadly appealing, targeting largely Middle America only. Now that he’s freed up, hopefully Allen can get with Universal and entice them into that oft-rumoured “Galaxy Quest” sequel.
