Reaper: Mixed News for Fans of the Supernatural Series

Having delayed the return of Bret Harrison, Tyler Labine, Rick Gonzalez, Missy Peregrym, Ray Wise, and company until late midseason and then pitting them up against American Idol, it looked like the CW network had already given up on Reaper.

Another seeming nail in the show’s coffin seemed to come last month when it was announced that the show’s creators, Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters, had signed an exclusive two year deal with rival studio 20th Century Fox TV. The CW network hasn’t made any official announcement on the show’s fate but, we have some good news and bad news.

In a note to show supporters at ReaperDMV.com, Tara Butters indicated that reports about the creators’ deal with 20th Century Fox weren’t totally accurate. If Reaper is picked up for a third season, the duo would still be involved. “Both Michele and I have been working on Reaper for over ten years and are very proud of the series,” She writes. “If Reaper does come back for a third season we would be involved. We have it worked out to consult on the show. We would want nothing more for the show to keep going we love our cast, crew, and fans.”

And now, the less-than-positive news. While the CW won’t make an official announcement about the show’s fate for two weeks, the FOX network is quite confident that Reaper won’t survive. They’ve just picked up Labine’s new single-camera comedy, Sons of Tucson. In the new series, Labine stars as a charming hustler who’s hired by three brothers to pretend to be their father while their real Dad serves time in jail for a white-collar crime.

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By all accounts, Labine is ready and raring to go to the new series. However, the new show is in second position for the actor so he’d likely have to drop out of the lead role of Tucson if the CW renews Reaper.

However unlikely that possibility may seem, it could happen. Pierce Brosnan had to pass on being James Bond in 1986 when NBC rescinded its cancellation of Remington Steele, thanks to a letter-writing campaign. More recently, ABC prevented John Stamos from joining ER in 2005 when they picked up Jake in Progress for a second season — and then quickly cancelled it after just one episode had aired.

So the CW network will announce its decision about Reaper by May 21st and the last episode of the season (and possibly the series) of Reaper airs on May 26th. What do you think? Should Reaper be put to rest or does it deserve to cheat death?