After a season of lackluster ratings, The CW took a chance last May and renewed Life Unexpected for year two. They hoped that the audience would grow this season but it certainly hasn’t.
Season one of Life Unexpected averaged 2.0 million viewers and a 1.6 rating in the network’s target demographic of women 18-34. This season, the show’s lost more than half of the demo audience, averaging just a 0.7 rating with 1.53 million viewers.
As the network’s lowest rated show, CW execs asked for a couple additional scripts but didn’t order them into production. Life Unexpected is the only series on the network that’s been limited to 13 episodes this season.
While The CW has not officially cancelled Life Unexpected yet, it’s impossible to imagine that they’d renew it for season three. The ratings have just gone too low. Series creator Liz Tigelaar thinks so too. She told the TV Addict back in September that she believed that, if they didn’t get an order for a full season, the show was finished.
The season (likely series) finale will air in January. Deadline is reporting that the writers are treating it like the series finale and will wrap up many of the ongoing storylines.
Tigelaar was skeptical about how fulfilling the end could be. In September, she said, “Obviously if you were doing the end of this story, what I feel the fans want are Cate and Baze together, so that would be a natural series end in someway. Unfortunately, that is not going to to happen by episode 13, at least I don’t think in an artful way. So we’re just going to hope for more and if 13 ends up being our last one we will have some closure, it will feel good and the end, but it won’t be the true end.
What do you think? Should The CW have renewed or canceled Life Unexpected last spring? Why have so many viewers stopped watching? How would you like the series to end?
Image courtesy The CW.
It was refreshing to be able to watch a show without murder or people with supernatural powers. It was a mature show with mature, timely, themes. And it’s irritating to me that a show like this was essentially doomed because the studio put it in a time slot where it couldn’t compete. Do you know how many shows would have made if either the audience could have found it (too much switching time slots) or if it hadn’t had a blockbuster to compete against? You people should do what you can to help your show grow an audience and also… Read more »
I love this show – watch it every week. My husband started watching with me during season 2 & now he loves it too! I sure hope the series isn’t over.
I really don’t want this show to be canceled. I love it, and it will always hold a special place in my heart and will always be one of my favorite shows ever. It premiered a couple weeks after I met my birthfather, so I could totally relate to the storyline. It makes me sad that it might be canceled…It’s always so entertaining, funny, and heartfelt.
I cant believe the ratings were so low. This show caught my attention from the very first episode. I have anxiously waited for every Tues night to watch what was going to happen next. I was really disappointed to see the “season finale” tonight. After watching this show, I knew it was going to be the last one. This is a significant bummer! Please reconsider!!!
i loved that show
i LOVE this show!
its amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PLEASE PLEASE DONT CANCLE!
why must they cancel the greatest shows?!
I too love this show and googled immediately upon the shows wrap up tonight. Everyone I know who has seen this show loves it. It was poor advertisement that killed this show. Most people never knew it was on and I loving it would get very dissolutioned every times they took it off for a few shows then brings it back. You loose momentium. That process is killing shows off early. BRING IT BACK! It is a real life modern soap opra.
I love this show too!!! Please have a season 3!!
LOVE THIS SHOW! Definate potential. Now we all need to know how they got to 2 years later. I have to admit, if it does continue it was quite lame that they jumped to the end, but with good writers I’m sure they can fix it. Please dont cancel the show! Its one of the good ones on TV.
I am terribly sad! I love this show, and don’t want it to end…just finished watching the finale and was surprised to see the end fast forward two years..and I though, What? Is this the last episode, ever…. NOOO!
I just watched the finale and realized the same thing. I’ve enjoyed watching this show after a long hard day at work. I sure hope they bring the show back. The characters were perfect!!!
Love the show!!!! DO NOT CANCEL!!!!!!
Based on the episode that aired tonight I think it was more of a series finale than a season finale. I hope the CW execs reconsider. I have watched every episode and even got my daughter hooked on it. I’m 42 and she’s 17 and it was a great show to watch together. I am a huge fan so I truly hope I am wrong about tonight’s episode and that it will be back for another season. Not sure if I was crying at the end of the show because of Lux’s speech or because I knew it would be… Read more »
if they cancel life unexpected ill stop watching the network completely! this is the show that got me to watch this tv network i currently watch almost all the shows but if this one is canceled ill have no reason to tune in to the channel at all .
i also know several people who feel the same way
I’m so sad that they cancelled this show! I think it could have really done well-I don’t think it was promoted enough. I didn’t like the way it ended at all-with Kate losing the baby, not being able to have another and Ryan’s old girlfriend having his child….it was like an abrupt and corny ending. I wanted Kate with Ryan and Baze with someone else. I’m sad and disappointed.