Rachel Brosnahan As Abby Isaacs In Season Two, Episode Two: Fatherland (via WGN America)
Although creator Sam Shaw already had a third season planned, WGN America cancelled the Manhattan TV series, after its second season. Perhaps seeing the writing on the wall, back in November, Shaw said he crafted season two of Manhattan, with an eye toward some resolution, in case of cancellation.
Upon cancelling the historical drama which starred John Benjamin Hickey and Olivia Williams, WGN America President Matt Cherniss issued a statement citing the usual culprit — low ratings. Still feeling the sting of the end of the critically-acclaimed Manhattan, Cherniss has now offered more insight into the decision he tried to avoid.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Cherniss said he did everything he could to give Manhattan some momentum in the ratings and build up an audience. Among the steps he took were moving the show to the fall, when more viewers are watching, and moving it from Sunday nights to a less competitive spot. He even tweaked the ad campaign. In the end, it just was not enough.
“As we got to mid-season of season two, reality for me had started to set in that it was going to be very difficult to bring the show back for a third season,” Cherniss says, acknowledging at that point it simply didn’t “make economic sense” to move forward. He knows it would be easy to chalk up the paltry turnout to the stresses of “peak TV,” but he has watched as WGN’s other originals delivered considerably more viewers: Witch drama Salem drew 770,000 viewers in its second season, while new entry Outsiders shattered network records with 3.9 million watching its Jan. 26 premiere. […]
“When you’re starting a network and building a brand, you’re looking for reasons to pick up a show, not the opposite,” he adds. “But at some point, you have to see some momentum.”
Were you a fan of the Manhattan TV show? Do you think WGN America was right to cancel it after season two, or should it have been renewed for a third season? Do you feel like you got some closure in Manhattan‘s second season i.e. series finale? Sound off, in the comments.
Terrible decision. I think poor advertising and marketing hurt the show. If it were on a more successful national network, I believe it would have been a hit. I hope it is shopped around and a third season or at least a TV movie airs to tie up the ending. HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. I LOVED THE SHOW! Many in California loved it when they found it.
Very disappointed that Manhattan has been cancelledI enjoyed the show since viewing the 1st episode and looked forward to the next episode and seasons., its too bad that we get connected to the characters and story line and suddenly there is an abrupt cancellation. We know these shows are driven by ratings but sometimes executives should take a chance on a show. Im old enough to remember that Gunsmoke was to be cancelled until the head of CBS stepped in and said no way look what happened to that show it last what 25 years, Whatever happened to patience becoming… Read more »
Enjoyed season 2, but missed season one. Is season 1 available anywhere?
Terribly disappointed that there will be no season 3. Absolutely loved this show with its terrific writing and complex characters intertwined with the historical realism. Seems all the best shows are always cancelled. Makes one want to give up on TV and go back to reading, where writers actually get to provide endings and resolutions to their stories. Will miss this show!
Don’t give up on a great show like Manhattan! Please look for another network to pick it up. Not everyone gets WGN! The only way I can watch it is to stream it online, so I’ve only seen the first season. I’m still watching, and there are many other fans out there still watching… Were just not being counted in the ratings.
Why is it that all of the good shows get canceled? I hope another network picks it up so we can watch the rest of the story.
Well, after having the pleasure of acting in the season 2 finale, I’m sad to learn that there will be no season 3 opportunities. It was a privilege.
Manhattan should have aired on AMC – a network where they understand that critical darlings are worth nurturing. All you need to know about this cancellation is contained in the stat on The Outsiders. Ugh. What a piece of dung that is. But the same eyeballs that made Honey Boo Boo and Duck Dynasty famous probably gave it those ratings. I will miss JB Hickey and the rest of the Los Alamos gang.
I enjoyed not only the show but also the glimpse into a very important part of our history that it provided. I wish some other network would pick it up and finish it.
I like the series, shame it is being cancelled.
I did an interview with Sam Shaw on TelevisionAcademy.com, and I know he had some great plans for season 3. I have had to watch the show on Hulu, since my local cable company hasn’t seen fit to carry WGN, which is a shame. I haven’t caught up with Season 2, yet, but I’m working on it. I understand all too well the economics of television, but I wish we could judge shows on quality instead. A show like Manhattan could go on forever.
It would have been nice to see a third season. I hope they have enough episodes to at least make a CD set.
Hi, kerrell. Thank you for reading and for replying. What did you make of the second season? What storylines would you want closure for in a third season?
I think it would have been interesting to pursue consequences of the first test on the members of the team. Also, widening out the story to include changing national politics in response to the tests and the two eventual bombs, public opinions surrounding the bombings. I think a pivotal role to be followed is Frank and his passionate opposition to the bomb and his wife’s research into the effects of fallout. We only know these folks in the contained environment of a camp, not as individuals in society. Though these roles are mostly fictional characters we would like to imagine… Read more »
The reason the ratings were low is people stopped watching WGN when they dumped sports. Karma, baby…
Do you think so, Chip? I get why they did that. WGN transitioned from being a so-called “super station” to being an actual network. All the WGN series I watch, I watch on my Roku player. Their lead-ins (sports or not) have nothing to do with it. Salem and Outsiders are doing well for this fledgling network.
Sports fans would not have necessarily tuned-in to a period drama and vice-versa. Why do you think this is key? Just curious.
I think they flushed a lot of their national cume when they rebranded. Anytime you rebrand, you have to rebuild your cume, especially when the rebranding was as severe as it was. If you turn on the sink facet and expect water but get grape juice, you may not turn the faucet on for a while.
I loved this series, sad to see WGN will not wrap up the storyline.
Deborah, did you watch all of season 2? Did you see the season 2/Manhattan series finale? What storylines were left hanging that you would like to see wrapped up?
I really like the 1st season of Manhattan. I was able to view episodes on-line at my convenience. Unfortunately, this year WGN decided not to release them on their website. Makes it kinda hard to enjoy your programming WGN!!!!!
Hi Cheryl. Thanks for reading and for commenting. I never understand why networks don’t stick shows on their websites with unskippable ads.