Recently, we reported that TNT had cancelled Rizzoli & Isles. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, TNT chief Kevin Reilly discussed why he’s ending the popular procedural.
Rizzoli & Isles is currently in the middle of its sixth season and will end after a short seventh season this summer.
Speaking the Hollywood Reporter at the TCA winter press tour, Reilly said he pulled the plug on Rizzoli & Isles because the series has run its course:
If I came in and said, year two of Rizzoli & Isles, we’re pulling the plug on it, I would have probably gotten some [feedback]. They have not said no to me on anything and I don’t think they would have said no, but I think they would have gone like, ‘Really?! You want to do that?’ And, honestly, that would have been a stupid move. I’ve got a show that people love, that’s performed really well, why would I do that? Coming to the end of a seven-year run, it’s an easier decision. Everybody involved, from producers to talent, are like, ‘It’s been a good run. We’re going to be one of a couple cable shows that has made it to that 100-plus [episode] number. There have been very few cable shows that have made that many episodes. So let’s go out when we’re strong and not limp.'”
For years, Rizzoli & Isles has been one of TNT’s flagship series, bringing in good ratings and an average of around four million viewers per episode in season six so far. The series’ cancellation seems to be part of Reilly’s larger revamping of both TNT and TBS as networks with acclaimed original material.
Rizzoli & Isles is just the latest dumpee for TNT. In December, three of the network’s dramas were cancelled—Legends, Public Morals, and Agent X.
What do you think? Are you a fan of Rizzoli & Isles? Do you think it’s time the series end?
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