Lifetime hasn’t renewed Army Wives for a seventh season but has instead ordered 10 additional episodes for season six. The cable channel initially ordered 13 episodes last May and has now increased that number to 23 installments. Prior to this, the drama’s biggest season order has been 19 episodes.
According to Deadline, the cast and crew are currently filming the sixth season and this move will keep them in continuous production. Army Wives and Drop Dead Diva are the cable channel’s strongest shows and they understandably want to keep them going until they can launch other successful series. Last summer’s new dramas — The Protector and Against The Wall — weren’t big performers. One was cancelled and the other hasn’t been renewed yet.
The original Army Wives actors’ salaries expire at the end of the sixth season. By tacking on additional episodes, Lifetime doesn’t have to renegotiate with them to get more installments. The cable channel is supposedly offering each of the leads an increase of $10,000 per episode, far less than what they’d get if their contracts were renegotiated. The longer season will likely be broken up into two parts.
The cast and crew were expected to wrap season six by February which would have allowed the actors time to audition for new pilots. With Lifetime ordering 10 more episodes, pilot season will be long passed by the time they’re available. Sally Pressman has a holding deal with NBC that will have to be pushed back and Catherine Bell had been fielding offers from networks for new pilots.
It’s been suspected that season six is the show’s last. If that’s indeed true, Lifetime is getting as many episodes as they can out of the cast without having to renegotiate and increase their talent costs.
What do you think? Will there be a seventh season or is season six the end? How long should Army Wives go on?
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Image courtesy Lifetime.
I absolutely love this show. I was a navy wife in the 70’s. Before the computer age of communication, where you didn’t get to hear each others voice for months at a time. The characters are great and the issues they cover are important. People need to see the sacrifices made by military families, what their needs are, how they cope and how important having a support system is. The shows are interesting and informative. I agree with those who have said that there is so much crap on tv. I didn’t start watching until season 4 was over, bought… Read more »
I totally love Army Wives!!!..i am a Navy spouse and i think the show really does touch on what it is like for us back home and for the servicemembers out there. The characters are very likeable and I too will find it easy to switch from Lifetime if it is cancelled. I had my hubby buy seasons 1-5 and I watched them over a week and I started watching it season 5 on TV(last year). Season 6 is by far one of the best seasons :)…i like Gloria’s character and also Vicky Clarke’s. I do miss Pamela and Chase… Read more »
Please DO NOT end Army Wives – this is the only show that I watch EVER !! I would be so disappointed if this shows ends !! I even got my husband to start watching it during season 3 and he is hooked too – I wish they would cancel some of the other crap that is on TV !!!
Its a great show. do not let it end
Love Army Wives..It is realistic,keeps us reminded of what the Military and their families go through. Please keep it going. Thanks for the good drama.
Please do not end it…The best show out there and what I watch lifetime for…..
[…] or renewed for a seventh season (though it’s believed that the show is actually ending). The sixth season of Army Wives airs Sunday nights. There are 23 […]
I absolutely will NOT watch ANY Lifetime shows or channels again if Army Wives is cancelled. I have no problem flippin right past the channels on my box and watching something else. Unbelievable. Just when you get a really good show that everyone loves, you’re stupid enough to take it away??? I seriously hope not!!!!!!!
I feel so much the same way!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope it continues on, I just started watching it over from the beginning on Netflix. A show of this quality is very rare to last with good plot lines for this long. I do think with the subtraction of Pamela’s character and Claudia Joy it will make it harder. However, they have already introduced two new characters that could potentially close the gap in the circle. Only time will tell but I hope that they continue on.
I am a senior person and have watch many soaps over the years, BUT, this is by far the best show I have ever been interested in. I tell my friends and family to watch every Sunday and garenteed them they will have a tear or two at the end of each show. Please keep it going!
dont end it!
I love this show! I hope it does continue. It will be very difficult if they keep removing cast members. “Pamela” is now gone and looks like “Claudia Joy” is right on her heels. I sure hope not! Kim Delaney is one of my favorites and has been for years!
[…] November, Lifetime made headlines when they ordered 10 additional episodes for season six, bringing the total to 23 installments. This represents the show’s biggest […]
Well, the good thing about being an army spouse is that you are in the army during times of war and peace. Military operations go on even when there is no war. I think these show has a lot of life in it if they could just get the right writers.
so true!!!! And thanks!!!!
I love this series but I think it is time for it to end because pretty soon the war over seas will end and there will be nothing to write about.
KAB-there’s always another war coming down the road-see Catherine Bell’s previous series ‘JAG’ for evidence of that…