(ABC/Angus Young)
Why did Speechless and Whiskey Cavalier have to end? Recently, ABC boss Karey Burke spoke with Deadline about the network’s decision to cancel the two TV shows.
A comedy, Speechless centers on the DiMeo family, headed by no-nonsense mom Maya (Minnie Driver) who will do anything for her family: husband Jimmy (John Ross Bowie), brainy Ray (Mason Cook), athletic Dylan (Kyla Kennedy), and teenager JJ (Micah Fowler), who has cerebral palsy. The series just wrapped its third and final season last month.
Meanwhile, Whiskey Cavalier follows an FBI agent and a CIA operative who must team up to root out corruption and crime and save the world. The cast includes Scott Foley, Lauren Cohan, Ana Ortiz, Tyler James Williams, Vir Das, and Josh Hopkins. The show debuted its first and only season in February.
During this week’s upfronts, ABC chief Karey Burke revealed the reason for Speechless‘ cancellation ultimately came down to ratings:
There was a lot of anguish for me and all of us at ABC. We love Speechless, it was a very tough decision. Scott Silveri is a former producing partner of mine and it was not without great gut wrenching consideration that we ultimately made that call. We looked at a lot of factors and ultimately it came down to numbers and feeling like we could shore up the night more strongly with Fresh Off The Boat.”
It seems Whiskey Cavalier suffered the same fate. Burke told reporters the series never really gained a strong audience:
It was a tough decision, it was the last decision we made. We thought we gave it very strong launch in spring. But we lost audience. We felt the biggest opportunity was to try something new. We looked for other time slots but did not see a real opportunity to grow.”
What do you think? Have you seen Speechless and/or Whiskey Cavalier? Would you have watched another season?
I think the show should have been giving a chance with a second season before the network was quick to cancel the show . What a huge dissapointment
What a way to disappoint the fans of the show
Very good show and Great Actors. I really hate that this has to happen.
Really loved Whiskey Cavalier. It’s such a shame that good shows always get cancelled because of ratings. Which I know plenty of shows I can put money on does not have good ratings but are still on.
I really loved watching whiskey cavalier. It was a great show. I am so tired of good shows getting cancelled. There needs to be something done about this.
Yes I loved Whiskey Cavalier, but yet you leave on some of the worse programs. I just don’t get it. It was a very good program and I’m so disappointed you cancelled it.
I totally Agree.
I felt Speechless was the best show on television. It’s an extremely rare thing when I feel every single character is strong, each teen-age family member, both parents, Ken, the school principal, the physiotherapist, even the guests right down to JJ’s classmates, Ray’s, and Dylan’s to Jimmy’s co workers. I loved the family dynamics, and was hugely looking forward to JJ’s future, and how you all would have worked that out. This show needs to be shifted over to Disney Channel or something, but with Mason going on nineteen, he might be destined for greater things. And apparently he is… Read more »
I LOVED whiskey Cavalier
So tired of good shows getting axed
Whiskey Cavalier was a much needed diversion from the status quo… We looked forward to every episode for the humor, wit, fresh new quips and extremely good choreography… I agree with others that strongly feel that this series was not given the time needed for others to come aboard and have the chance to enjoy it…
With so much News hitting us on all fronts I believe that we need some of the entertaining humor Whisky Cavalier delivered…
The problem today is networks do not want to give any time for new shows to build an audience. Whiskey Cavalier had a good cast and good story lines. It’s episodes were getting stronger each week. Maybe the show was too good for today’s millennial audiences, which advertisers want above all others even though they’re not the majority of those spending money out in the marketplace.
I am very disappointed that whiskey cavalier is ending. I enjoyed the show a lot. The actors blended well together.
WHISKEY CAVELIER IS A GOOD SHOW!
It shouldn’t have been cancellations!
Too bad. I really enjoyed watvhing whiskey cavalier.
I really enjoy watching whiskey Cavalier, I can’t believe they are cancelling so soon. It should be given more time to catch on.
I stopped watching Speechless a while back but I really enjoyed Whiskey Cavalier and would love to have seen it get a second season. It was just starting to find it’s footing and the cast werer really coming together very well
I really enjoy watching whiskey cavalier can’t believe they are Ctually canceling this show so soon.