Source: Getty Images for WGN America / Getty Images for WGN America
On Tuesday the Tribune Media Company announced that they have cancelled the critically acclaimed WGN show Underground. Starring Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Amirah Vann, Alano Miller and Aisha Hinds, the hit antebellum drama had high ratings and was the most discussed cable drama on social media the nights it aired.
According to Deadline, the company was recently acquired by media company Sinclair, who plans on taking the network in a different direction.
“As WGN America evolves and broadens the scope and scale of its portfolio of series, we recently announced that resources will be reallocated to a new strategy to increase our relevance within the rapidly changing television landscape. This move is designed to deliver additional value for our advertising and distribution partners and offer viewers more original content across our air,” Tribune Media President and CEO Peter Kern said.
He added: “Despite Underground being a terrific and important series, it no longer fits with our new direction and we have reached the difficult decision not to renew it for a third season. We are tremendously proud of this landmark series that captured the zeitgeist and made an impact on television in a way never before seen on the medium. We thank the incomparable creators Misha Green and Joe Pokaski and the great John Legend, along with the talented creative team and cast who brought the unsung American heroes of the Underground Railroad to life. We are grateful to the loyal fans of Underground and our partners at Sony Pictures Television. It is our hope that this remarkable show finds another home and continues its stories of courage, determination and freedom.”
Obviously, fans were not happy about this news:
https://twitter.com/ChickTracee/status/869744648033587200
https://twitter.com/wanta_fanta_/status/869739671378690048
https://twitter.com/alliyahalese/status/869739028924448768
https://twitter.com/cartoonsupreme/status/869745280463257601
But don’t fret folks: Executive Producer John Legend took to Twitter to reassure fans that the show will go on:
He even encouraged fans to Tweet potential networks and streaming services that could pick up the drama:
And folks were either way ahead of him or followed his lead:
https://twitter.com/freeblackgirl/status/869729564641054720
https://twitter.com/gabyttrinidad/status/869705242681769987
It’s been rumored that BET has passed on picking up the show, Deadline pointed out, but that OWN and Hulu could still be interested. Yet only time will tell.
Until then, we’re going to keep the faith with co-creator Misha Green:
https://twitter.com/MishaGreen/status/869717866815160321
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Oh No! WGN Cancels ‘Underground’ was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
