Commander in Chief: Cancelled But President Allen May Return

As I reported earlier, ABC has chosen to cancel the freshman series Commander in Chief. The series stars Geena Davis as President Mackenzie Allen, the first female President of the United States. The show started off strong (with the critcs and in the ratings) but was then plagued by production issues — and then by a declining viewership. ABC has maintained that they believe in show and, though it will not appear on the Fall 2006 schedule, the show may not be gone for good.

It’s been reported that ABC chief Steve McPherson is actually in talks with Chief creator Rod Lurie to bring the characters back for a two-hour television movie. The deal isn’t finalized as yet but McPherson sounds hopeful they’ll be able to work something out over the summer.

“It’s a fantastic story that Rod has in mind, and there’s still a really dedicated audience for the show,” McPherson said. “It would give Rod a chance to tell a lot of stuff he didn’t get the opportunity to tell and give us another look at it (the concept) in a reconfigured form.” If the movie is produced and is successful, then other Commander in Chief projects may be produced in the future.

For those who can’t wait, be sure to tune in to ABC at the end of the month when the network will air the final three episodes of the first (but hopefully not last) season of Commander in Chief. Episodes are also available for download on
Apple’s online iTunes store.