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Renewals and Cancellations: 'Big Sky,' 'Animal Control,' 'Kung Fu'

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 13, 2023 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | May 13, 2023 |


Kung-Fu-The-CW.jpg

It’s a big enough week for renewals and cancellations that this is our second post. First up: ABC brought the hammer down on three series. I’m not surprised by either The Company You Keep or Alaska Daily, which were axed after their first seasons. They were fine, but neither were good enough to compete with prestige dramas, but they were almost too good (especially Alaska Daily) to work on network television. That does, however, make ABC’s other cancellation more of a surprise: Big Sky was also canceled after three seasons. That show was perfect for network TV: Not too bright, not too dumb, and lots of pretty faces, including Jensen Ackles in the third season. It’s too bad, but I don’t think it will be difficult for Katheryn Winnick, Kylie Bunbury, and Jensen Ackles to find other jobs.

Meanwhile, over on the CW, the new owner Nextar continues dismantling its programming canceling The Supernatural prequel The Winchesters, as well as a Podjiba favorite, Kung Fu. Dan Hamamura, the host of Podjiba, probably has mixed feelings, as someone who claimed on the podcast that he’d never watched it, but he sure seemed to know an awful lot about it.

So far, the only CW programming set to return next season is All American and Walker for a shortened fourth season.

The CW is making some odd — but potentially successful — moves to maintain ratings and cut costs, however. They have saved 61st Street with Courtney B. Vance and Aunjanue Ellis. The first season of that series aired on AMC, and then AMC canceled it even though the second season had already been shot. The CW picks up both seasons and will air the first season in the fall and the second season in 2024. The CW also picked up The Spencer Sisters, a Canadian series starring Lea Thompson. The CW might save money, but it’s going to do so with an unusual patchwork of series.

Elsewhere, over on Netflix, Lockwood and Co., a well-liked YA series here, has been axed after one season.

There are also a couple of renewals to report. Lopez and Lopez gets a second season on NBC, while Fox has picked up Animal Control for a second season (Animal Control has grown on me, and I’m happy about any show that keeps Vella Lovell employed).