History buffs and fiction fans alike have had a gem of a series in AMC's Turn, which has spent three telling the tale of the Culper Ring of spies that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. The third season came to an end back in June with the Revolutionary War still very much in swing, and word has now come down that Turn has been cancelled. Luckily, for fans who were hoping to see the series make it to the rebels' eventual victory over the Brits, the cancellation doesn't mean that we won't get any more Turn. AMC is giving the series a fourth season to finish the story. The end is nigh, but it's not here yet.
AMC has renewed Turn for a fourth and final season of ten episodes set to air in 2017, according to Deadline. Ratings for Turn have never been particularly remarkable for AMC, and it's actually somewhat surprising that the show has hung on as long as it has. The numbers actually dropped overall from Season 2 to Season 3. Still, the final four episodes showed an increase in viewers. The ratings aren't great, but they're not terrible. AMC also owns Turn, so the cost of a fourth season isn't as significant as it would be for a series not owned entirely by the network.
Turn actually may be better off in the long run for getting the early cancellation order. The show will be able to come to a natural conclusion that ties up loose ends rather than finish on a cliffhanger that would never be resolved. The Culper Ring of spies isn't the most well-known branch of Revolutionary War history; fans deserve to see the story played out to completion even if it's not exactly a secret that the rebels won the war.
The cancellation order also means that Turn won't have to try to stretch out history. The series could become dull if the end of the war was never in sight and we were just treated to spy adventure after spy adventure; the action can move forward at an exciting pace without any filler next year. Frankly, Season 4 could be the best season of Turn to date as showrunner Joel Silverstein is able to plan out all ten of the final episodes ahead of time.
AMC has struggled in the ratings in recent years, so it's not a huge shocker that the network would cancel Turn and open its time slot to a series that might garner more impressive ratings after 2017. We should count our lucky stars (and stripes) that Turn is getting the chance to end on its own terms with Season 4.
Sadly, we won't get to see what happens next with the Culper spies for a while. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see what you'll be able to watch while you wait for the fourth and final season of Turn.
