No wonder the Season 2 finale of the American science-fiction drama TV series “Extant” hardly had any cliffhanger. Apparently, the producers already know that CBS will no longer renew the show for a third season that is why Season 2 wrapped up like a movie finale.
Lead actress Halle Berry appears to be aware that “Extant” would no longer be renewed for Season 3 so when CBS officially broke the news that it is cancelling the show’s third season, she said that she was so proud of what they have accomplished in the TV series, details Variety.
Berry pointed out that Season 2 seemed such a natural place to end Molly’s journey which is why she, the producers, and the guys at CBS felt it best to just leave the story there.
She said that “Extant” was her first foray into episodic television, but it is not going to be her last as she will continue her relationship with CBS to produce more compelling stories for the small screen through her 606 Films production banner.
CBS confirmed on October 9 that it is continuing its business relationship with Halle Berry by announcing that it is currently developing a legal drama with the actress titled “Legalese.”
The upcoming TV series shall be written by Steven Lichtman, who wrote the story for another upcoming CBS TV series called the “Good Wife.” “Legalese” is a story about a biracial lawyer from Chicago who follows a case to New Orleans.
The lawyer finds herself partnering with a white lawyer in New Orleans as they focus on a very particular justice system that will ultimately expose the biases that Americans, black or white, harbor.
An exciting and fitting conclusion
In announcing last week the cancellation of “Extant” Season 3, Glenn Geller, president of CBS Entertainment, said that the network, Halle Berry, and the producers have decided to conclude the TV series after Season 2’s exciting and fitting conclusion.
He added that “Extant” played an important role in expanding the lineup of CBS in terms of original scripted programming during the summer.
Geller also said that they are proud of the show’s success on the network as well as its popularity on Amazon Prime Video.
Because of the network’s long-term partnership with Halle Berry, Geller actually made a PR statement by stating that “Extant” was a success instead of saying it straight that the reason why the TV series was cancelled was because of its poor ratings.
“Extant” was the lowest-rated of three CBS original dramas during the summer season, averaging 1.1 rating in adults 18 to 49 years old. It has 6.35 million viewers overall in Nielsen’s live-plus-7 estimates. Based on same-day numbers, Season 2 of “Extant” was down more than 30% from Season 1’s viewership.
Molly’s dilemma
“Extant” revolves around the story of astronaut Molly Woods, played by Halle Berry, who becomes inexplicably pregnant when she returns home to her family after 13 months of solo mission in outer space.
When the series shifted from its original sci-fi nature to a more action-packed drama, it marked the decline in the popularity of the show during the recent summer. It also brought a lot of casting changes on “Extant,” replacing the male lead with Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
There were actually seven lead actors during Season 1 but only three of them were still involved in Season 2. The subplots of the first season were also not pursued following the departure of original showrunner Greg Walker who was replaced in Season 2 by Elizabeth Kruger and Craig Shapiro.