There’s good news and bad news for fans of USA Network’s In Plain Sight TV series. The cable channel has renewed the drama for an abbreviated fifth season. Unlike the past seasons, there will only be eight episodes this time around — versus the usual 12-15 installments.
And sadly, season five will also be the last for In Plain Sight. USA has decided to end the series but has fortunately given the cast and crew advance notice to be able to craft a series finale. The final season will kick off next spring.
Here’s the press release about USA’s renewal and “cancellation:”
USA NETWORK’S “IN PLAIN SIGHT” RETURNS FOR FIFTH SEASON WITH EIGHT EXPLOSIVE EPISODES IN SPRING 2012
Mary McCormack, Frederick Weller, Paul Ben Victor and Rachel Boston Will Star in the Television Event of the Spring Featuring Unexpected Plot Twists and Surprising Guest Stars
NEW YORK – August 11, 2011 – After concluding its fourth season with season high ratings, IN PLAIN SIGHT, USA Network’s hit original scripted series starring Mary McCormack (“The West Wing”), will return for its fifth and final season in Spring 2012. The announcement was made today by USA Co-Presidents Jeff Wachtel and Chris McCumber.
“IN PLAIN SIGHT is an integral part of our original programming slate and we are proud of its critical and commercial success,” said McCumber and Wachtel. “With a talented cast led by the incredible Mary McCormack, the fifth and most explosive season is sure to bring in new audiences with its provocative themes and unexpected story arcs.”
In its shocking season four finale, Mary (Mary McCormack) saved Marshall (Frederick Weller), Stan (Paul Ben Victor) and a witness from near-death in an ambush, but later Mary goes into premature labor after seeing Brandi (Nicole HIltz) flee her wedding to Peter (Joshua Malina). With Marshall, Jinx (Lesley Ann Warren) and ex-husband Mark (Bryan Callen) at her side, a frightened Mary cries out, “I’m not ready.”
The final gripping season of IN PLAIN SIGHT will keep viewers on the edge of their seats with heart-pounding storylines all building to an unforgettable finale. Can Mary blend motherhood with her very dangerous profession? Or will she put the infant up for adoption? Will Marshall finally admit his feelings for Mary, or can he make his relationship with Abigail (Rachel Boston) work? Can Brandi and Peter ever reconcile? After opening up her heart to Raph (Cristian de la Fuente) and Faber (Steven Weber), is it possible for Mary to fall in love again? And the question that has haunted Mary her entire life, where is her father?
Mary McCormack and cast Frederick Weller, Paul Ben Victor and Rachel Boston will return as series regulars, and Lesley Ann Warren, Nichole Hiltz and Tangie Ambrose are expected to recur for the final season. The new season will feature the cast and top name guest stars in more exciting and surprising story arcs than ever. Ed Decter and John J. Strauss (“There’s Something About Mary”) will return as executive producers with Dan Lerner as executive producer/director. Natalie Chaidez is executive producer. Michael Reisz is co-executive producer. IN PLAIN SIGHT is produced by Universal Cable Productions and is shot entirely on location in and around Albuquerque, New Mexico.
IN PLAIN SIGHT stars McCormack as Mary Shannon, a U.S. Marshal working in the highly secretive branch of the witness protection program (WITSEC), who relocates Federal Witnesses, most of whom fall into three categories: career criminals, whistle-blowers or innocents who had the misfortune of witnessing a crime. They all have one thing in common – someone wants them dead. Mary’s job is to see that doesn’t happen, while at the same time attempting to manage her own dysfunctional family.
IN PLAIN SIGHT closed its fourth season with a season high audience, up +6% from last year’s finale. IN PLAIN SIGHT has shown double digit growth over season three among P25-54 (2.2 million, up +13%), P18-49 (1.9 million, +17%) and P18-34 (659,000, +20%) as well as seeing gains in total viewers (4.9 million, +8%) and households (3.7 million, +9%) [with Live+7 data].
Universal Cable Productions creates quality content across multiple media platforms for USA, Syfy and other networks. A leader in innovative and critically acclaimed programming, UCP is the studio behind USA’s “Royal Pains,” “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Psych,” “In Plain Sight,” “Covert Affairs,” “Fairly Legal” and “Suits,” along with Syfy’s “Eureka,” “Warehouse 13” and “Alphas.” The studio is also producing “Against the Wall” for Lifetime and “I Just Want My Pants Back” for MTV. UCP is a division NBCUniversal.
USA Network is the #1 network in all of basic cable and is seen in over 102 million U.S. homes. A division of NBCUniversal, USA is the cable television leader in original series and home to the best in blockbuster theatrical films, acquired television series and entertainment events. The award-winning USA website is located at www.usanetwork.com. Characters Welcome.
USA Network is a program service of NBCUniversal Cable a division of NBCUniversal, one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.
What do you think? Are you sorry that In Plain Sight is ending? Do you wish that there was going to be a sixth season? Is eight episodes enough to end the TV show properly?
Image courtesy USA Network.
Really liked the show til the last season…too much crap about the pregnancy. Should have waited until she had the kid, and resumed the series as it was. Did NOT like the last season.
IPS is one of the best written and acted shows on TV. What’s the matter with the people in charge of programming. Are they stupid. We watch Cable for better shows and as soon as we get hooked you cancel them. I have talked about this show to everyone and so many new people have begun to watch. If you would do a better job of advertising this show I’m sure the ratings would even be higher. Please re-think this cancellation.
Comcast strikes again…!!! You know Comcast canceled this show right ? since they now own NBC, USA and SYFY. They hit people like 2 weeks ago by canceling Eureka on SYFY when there ratings where one of the best. NOW it seems they have struck USA with BUDGET CUTS also…next to go will be psych, burn notice,royal pains and whatever sysfy has left that deosnt involve sharktopuses and ghost hunters. Why couldnt NBC have kept comcast outta tv..?? NBC was either failing big time and in debt or the head hanchos where greedy..probalby the second.
I watch all of the shows on USA, but In Plain Sight is my wife’s and my favorite. The dialogue, along with a incredible cast should have kept this show running forany more years. Cable is starting to program just like the Networks do. Brilliant move!
EVERY TIME THERE IS A GOOD SHOW ON IT IS TAKEN OFF. THE SHOWS NOT WORTH WATCHING ALWAYS STAY ON FOR YEARS. IN PLAIN SIGHT BEST, SHOW ON TV.
Sorry to hear this. Enjoyed the show and hoped for more seasons.
First it was Monk, then L&O & L&O, CI. Now it’s IPS! TNT is dropping The Closer & Men of a Certain Age. Cable is where I went when the broadcast stations started dropping intelligent programming in favor of mindless drivel, especially so-called “reality” shows. I agree that the ratings system is ridiculous & outdated and that catering to an arbitrary demographic (as if the rest of the people, especially older people don’t buy any products) makes little sense. However, in this case, it makes absolutely no sense since the ratings were improving. I am sure that the merger has… Read more »
Just amazing. Once again it just goes to show that those who program the networks obviously don’t actually WATCH TV. Not to mention, you hear great shows getting cancelled for not having great ratings, or losing viewers, many times because networks either don’t advertise them properly or, even better, keep moving them or move them from a successful night, the ratings go down. So instead of putting a show back where it was a success, they cancel it. Now, USA is taking a totally new and inventive method of programming. Let’s take a popular, successful show, that not only gets… Read more »
I’m really sorry to hear In Plain Sight is going into it’s final season and with an abriviated number of episodes at that. Has any reason been given for the cancellation? Whatever the reason it is going to make my tv viewing less enjoyable.
I went out of my way to watch this show since its like a year behind in Canada, so I would watch it online. Its sucks that every show I like has been cancelled. guess I will go back to only watching movies
sorry @Just browsing; didn’t mean to “pick” on psych; i absolutely have loved dule since his west wing days, and i watched it-as you said w/ips-til certain things drove me away (like mary’s mom and sis did you-i wasn’t crazy about them or their storyline either; fortunately, both seem to have shrunk in airtime)…at any rate, i was searching for something to create a “sublime to ridiculous” spectrum in my mind…but someone’s trash is always someone else’s treasure. had i inserted the bachelor/ette instead, it would have the same meaning for me, but someone else would have been equally upset,… Read more »
I love “In Plain Sight”! It has some of the most clever writing ever, delivered by a compellingly superb cast! It is absolutely a mistake to end this show – it’s rating are continually growing in a positive direction! The normal 10-15 episodes per year is insufficient, so eight episodes will hardly even begin to scratch the surface of an ending! Every year, I wait with baited breath for this series to return! As for the inaccurate speculation from Bruce – I’ll say that I am in the targeted demi-graphic (and under 40)! I DO NOT have a short attention… Read more »
WTH! Why cancel a show who’s ratings have improved? This is a great show that I actually make time for. Very disappointed!
It is no surprise that a great show gets cancelled….Long Live Reality Crap,,
Why would you cancel such a great show? Replace it with another discusting reality show??? IPS was one of the few shows that I would set DVR & look forward to watch every week!! WHY???