If ABC cancels The River (which they almost surely will), it seems that the TV series might still have a chance for a second season.
Netflix and ABC Studios (which co-produces The River) have had early discussions about possibly producing some TV shows for Netflix and their streaming service. The River apparently came up as a contender as part of those discussions.
Once known only for their DVD rental by mail services, Netflix has been offering streaming services for more than five years and TV shows have become very popular with subscribers. We often hear from readers who’ve only recently discovered serial TV series like The Event, FlashForward and The Gates; shows that were broadcast and cancelled more than a year ago.
Netflix has made a deal to produce a fourth season of cult-favorite Arrested Development some six years after it was cancelled by FOX. The company has recently discussed the possibility of producing a second season of another canned FOX show, Terra Nova.
While The River has amassed a devoted following, the ratings for the ABC series have been poor almost from the start. It premiered on ABC with a mediocre 2.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 8.35 million total viewers. Those numbers quickly dwindled downward and the season (likely seres) finale came in at a 1.4 in the demo with 3.99 million.
Deadline sites that The River picks up a healthy percentage of viewers from DVR viewing but that’s essentially true of any show. If a show has relatively low viewership, picking up 36% (3.99 million to 5.43 million) still doesn’t amount to much by network standards.
Could that size of an audience be enough for Netflix to justify the cost of producing a second season of The River? We’ll have to wait and see but at least there’s a bit more hope for fans than there was before.
What do you think? Is there a realistic chance that Netflix or someone else will save The River? Is it worth being saved?
Image courtesy ABC.
I love The River! I hope they keep it going. I would get a Netflix account just to watch it!
Oh yeah, terra nova was also good! What in the world is going on. Don’t know where you survey who watches but don’t believe the stats are correct!
Omg this show sucks!!! Please cancel this crappy show! What a let down I was so excited when the show premiered, I can’t believe the same guy that made PA movies is involved in this show. It has potential but that’s about it. It wasn’t scary, the plot was so predictable and was extremely stereotyped. I didn’t care about any of the characters they were all so irritating. I should’ve known this show would be like the rest of ABCs drama series lineup cookie cutter boring, nothing different or inventive. I guess I like more grit in my programming. I’ll… Read more »
What’s up ABC????? You are cancelling the good shows! Btw. The shows the chew and revolution really are stupid! It’s a repeat of others shows just like it. I think you need to step back and really consider your viewers. Thank you
Yes keep the show , just getting interesting.
I definitely think The River should have a 2nd season. It’s really a cliff-hanger and I got hooked right away. I also miss V and The Event, which were such good shows, and yet got cancelled. I’d get Netflix if they saved these shows and Terra Nova, which I also liked but got the axe after 1 season. Why do all the best shows get cancelled after 1 season? It’s really frustrating. Why not change the time slot and/or day and see what happens?
Save the show!
Pleeeeeaaaaassssseeee don’t cancel “The River”!!! I got addicted to “The Event”, they cancelled it after one season and it was a great show! Now, comes along “The River” which is AMAZING though it was given a terrible time slot… That’s why it didn’t get great viewership. I had to start watching it online because I DVR NCISLA and New Girl… But once I saw a couple episodes I WAS HOOKED. Replay it in a better time slot and it will be bigger than “Lost”. Don’t give up on a great thing do soon!!!!
Bring back Terra Nova, V, Human Target, Lie to Me, and Chicago Code, and I will purchase Netflix for sure! Why do stations keep cancelling some of the best shows?
If Netflix wants to stay ahead of the competition, it makes sense to have content not available anywhere else. That being said, The River would have to be a more expensive production than Arrested Development, and that would go against it or any high concept show. Netflix would be more like pay-for-cable networks like HBO or Showtime. Sure they don’t live or die by ratings like broadcast networks, but the point of producing original content is to attract new subscribers (besides keeping what they have). Sure, they can always try and that’s great. But I think it’s unrealistic to expect… Read more »
I like The River especially Paul Blackthorne..he is so sexy with his accent and very furry chest!
I liked The River fairly well but it doesn’t matter whether Netflix picks it up or not, I am not nor would ever subscribe to Netflix. Netflix sucks on so many levels it is ridiculous!
The River is one of the best shows I have seen in a long time. From one episode to the next, I couldn’t stop watching it. I subscribe to Netflix and Hulu Plus, although I watched it on Hulu. I got through all eight episodes in two nights, and I would really hate for the show to suddenly end like it did. This show was everything I expected it to be and so much more. Action, horror, suspense, and love, this show has everything. It would be a shame to see such a wonderful show just ended after one short… Read more »
Please keep it!!!!”
Keep it up, please! 🙁