It was on September 17 last year when the Season 3 finale of the American crime drama TV series “Graceland” was aired on the USA Network. Shortly thereafter, the network canceled the show for Season 4 even though it left a major cliffhanger.
As a result, “Graceland” joined the ignominious list of a handful of TV series that were cut on air without the benefit of a proper closure.
Had a Season 4 been hypothetically greenlit by the USA Network last year, the TV series could have ended its run by this time or actually ended the entire storyline and put a cap on it. Many critics believe that with the way the ratings of the TV series had been declining after its remarkable Season 1 run, “Graceland” was bound to be over sooner than later.
True enough, it did not take the USA Network too long to decide that after the Season 3 finale, they had put an end to the show regardless how the showrunners and writers put a wrap to it.
It was just a bit of disappointment for both the executive producers and writers that they were not able to guess what the USA Network would do. But they should have used the show’s ratings as their basis since it is no use producing and airing a TV series that does not earn money anyway.
The sad part about “Graceland” is that after its Season 3 finale that had a major cliffhanger to it, the executive producers of the TV series never bothered at all to haggle with the USA Network for a possible extension just to wrap up all the storylines or liaise with other networks or streaming services to rescue the show from cancellation.
There was not even a petition initiated by fans to ask the USA Network to reconsider its decision on “Graceland.”
That being said, it seems clear that it was the mediocre ratings that ultimately spelled disaster and doom for “Graceland.”
Poor ratings helped the network decide
After the USA Network canceled the fourth season of “Graceland” two weeks after its Season 3 finale last year, the talks about the show’s poor ratings continue to this day which only justifies the network’s decision to end it.
Apparently, it is the poor ratings of “Graceland” that made it easier for the network bosses to come to their decision, notwithstanding the fact that the TV show has a strong fan base and very good in terms of creativity.
It may have survived three seasons in the cable channel but the network can only take so much losses.
According to a source from the USA Network, the TV series just did not bring in the ratings that it needed in order to justify its place in the cable channel, notes Cinema Blend.
The source even added that the decision to end “Graceland” after its Season 3 finale was a short conversation even if the TV series left a huge cliffhanger at the end. Shows that are on the bubble ratings-wise or have a strong fan base often survive in limbo for months before the final decision is made.
Unique storyline in its own way
The storyline of “Graceland” however is quite unique in its own way. It featured the stories of a collection of undercover agents from multiple US government agencies who lived together in a confiscated beach house in Southern California known as Graceland.
The premise is more than a little wild actually for the average viewers but for the last few years since it began airing on the USA Network in 2013, it has become a staple in the cable channel’s programming.
With Jeff Eastin at the helm as executive producer, the USA Network was confident that he would make a good follow-up to his hit, the six-season “White Collar” with “Graceland.”
I am very sorry it is gone. I consistently has interesting dark corners, instead of the usual happy, clappy of such shows as Blue Bloods.