At the start of today’s television press tour session, CBS president Nina Tassler announced something that we’ve all known for months. Swingtown isn’t coming back for a second season.
Swingtown follows three Chicago families in 1970s era suburbia as they explore new freedoms and shifting moral values. The series stars performers like Molly Parker, Jack Davenport, Grant Show, Lana Parrilla, Josh Hopkins, Miriam Shor, Shanna Collins, Aaron Christian Howles, Brittany Robertson, Michael Rady, Nick Benson, and Kate Norby.
The series was initially scheduled to debut during the regular 2007-08 season but the premiere was delayed until Summer 2008. Critical and viewer reception for Swingtown was mixed and the pilot debuted to fewer than 8.6 million viewers and a 2.5/7 rating/share in the 18-49 demographic. Subsequent episodes’ ratings dropped from there. After seven episodes, CBS moved Swingtown to Friday nights where viewership plunged to a low of 2.82 million.
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Though the series’ ratings were too low to warrant a season two renewal on the network, the CBS studio tried to find another home for Swingtown. In the end, the best they could do was to make a deal with Bravo to rerun the first season. Execs for the cable net made it clear however that they weren’t interested in funding a second season.
In November, Show told TV Guide, “Yeah, unfortunately [it’s over]. I mean, they haven’t released me and they haven’t made any official statements yet, but our contracts are all up in December. They’d have to have us back working before then, and I don’t think it’s possible to do that.”
Tassler has long been an advocate for the series and initially gave Swingtown a greenlight. Today, she made the show’s fate official when she announced, “No, we’re not going back to Swingtown. We were extremely proud of the execution — [it] ended up on a half dozen top 10 lists in 2008.”
She continued, “At the end of the day the show was well executed, it was well received, the performances were great, the writing was great. It was a risk, we took it, and we’re proud of it.” The exec blamed the show’s performance, at least in part, to the writers strike.
Unfortunately, there’s been no talk of giving the series an ending of some kind. Does the show need one?
Image courtesy CBS.
And this would be why I don’t watch much TV.
As has been stated before, the volume of recurring reality & crime dramas is both a sad indication of what the medium is feeding us and/or what is being demanded. Even shows, like Hero’s, that were once provocative and unique can drastically lose focus and rating and still come back when a great show like this gets cancelled.
Make me kind of glad that I decided not to get one of those converter boxes.
Well, it figures. A fabulous show with interesting characters. Let’s bury it in the summer, then on Friday night and blame low ratings on the writer’s strike. If CBS really backed this show, it would bring it back for the fall season and give it a chance.
I’m very upset about this. Swingtown was one of the best shows to come to tv in a long while. Leave it to CBS to keep all of the crap and get rid of a good thing.
Maybe if they actually had promoted it, more people would have watched it.
I hate you CBS and all of your stupid crime dramas and reality shows. Swingtown was the first show I’ve watched on your network in quite a while. Never again will I watch a show on your network.
Swingtown was great. Hey, How about another reality show?
No actors needed, no talent needed.
this sucks .i think they should at least have the courteous of giving us a Finale.you should not leave us hanging,this was a great summer Tv program instead of being out in the yard in the summer i was inside watching swing town never missed a episode ,loved the music brought back so many memories growing up in the 70’s . there are so many shows that should be cancelled .and they are still on the air ,Flash point is one of them and new adventures of old christine and how i meet your mother.worst week ,please get these shows… Read more »
After seeing it was named on People’s Best of TV 2008, I just finished watching the whole season. I LOVED it!! Smart, thought provoking and emotionally real. This decision is really disappointing and I agree with the opinion that CBS has shows with far more drain on their viewing schedule than this. Some of us just want good series that don’t involve dead bodies, games or getting voted off the island.
I think Swingtown is a summer show and should stay that way…the issue is that it is not returning really disappoints the fans. I think there should be a rule..if a tv series gets cancelled, then there should be a finale episode to wrap everything up the right way. Oh well, I made my peace so at least I can wait for it to come to DVD soon.
This sucks! I loved Swingtown. Please give us a few more episodes to tie it up! This was one of my fav shows and the best show of last summer!
This really sucks!! I haven’t enjoyed a show as much as I enjoyed Swingtown. I could swear the characters were based on my life. I can’t believe this. The least they could’ve done is wrap it up and not leave us f***ing hanging!
To be honest I kind of thought this show would have made a better mini series than and actual full time version. I mean it was alright and the story was kind of interesting, especially the changes between all the character’s lives. However I do feel that it wasn’t going to last beyond the summer. I kind of thought it was an odd choice at the time I mean by the time fall came around the time to watch something like this would not had been huge for viewership. However I do think that perhaps a few more episode to… Read more »
What a waste, it was a bright spot in a usually boring summer TV season. Once again the major networks are getting rid of the intelligent shows in favor of reruns or mindless reality TV.
I REALLY was looking forward to the next season. What a bummer! I can think of 10 other shows on CBS that should have been cancelled long before now… Your viewing audience is dwindling…AT LEAST COME BACK with a few more episodes, if nothing else, AND TIE UP THE LOOSE ENDS YOU LEFT WITH THE FIRST SEASON…. We at least deserve that much.
This blowz! i just finished watching the rest of the show on netflix instant TONIGHT, only to discover via google that it was officially cancelled TODAY! Argh, whats the point of getting invested in new shows, only to be left high and dry with an unresolved cliff hanger?!? . . . at least hook me up with a low budget x-mas special that ties up all the loose ends, . . even a script in progress would do. . . It should have aired on FOX. . . too spicy for CBS to handle
What??? They cancelled Swingtown? I looked forward to that show every week and I was just searching the web to see if it was coming back for another season. I am soooo bummed! And CBS has the nerve to cancel it when 85% of their other shows suck…good job execs.
I am so ticked off, we start to watch a show and then it just gets cancelled come on high and mighty executives the least you could do is give us loyal fans an ending to the show. It just puts me off watch shows on any of the networks
Get a grip people you will lose your viewers,