ABC's Quantico has fallen in the ratings during Season 2, but the network isn't sitting on its laurels. The show has already switched timeslots, and now showrunner Joshua Safran has revealed the show is making another big change in to cater to its viewers. Quantico is getting rid of its flashbacks, and Safran says it is because viewers weren't huge fans of the flashbacks during Season 1.
It was a response from last year. It was the idea that 22 [episodes] couldn't sustain it.
Speaking over the weekend, Joshua Safran told TV Line that there were a couple of reasons why the flashbacks are no longer going to work for Quantico. First, there's the whole fact that viewers don't seem to like them, which makes total sense. During Season 1, the flashbacks gave us a bunch of additional information about the lead characters, but it also broke away from the more exciting terrorism story at key moments. It could also sometimes be confusing to tell which timeline the series was showing us during certain scenes. The second reason has to do with the fact that the writers themselves are having trouble keeping up the whole multiple timeline thing, especially now that the show is partway through Season 2. It doesn't always make sense to flashback, and I'm actually pretty happy I won't have to sit through it for much longer.
So, here's what's coming up for Quantico:
When we broke Season 2, we knew we were going to go to one timeline, because it's about the [terrorist] event, and then it's about what happens after the event. And you can't flashback to the Farm after the crisis is over.
Quantico is coming back for its winter season on January 23, but if you were hoping for no flashbacks when that happens, you'll be sorely disappointed. The showrunner says the big changes will be happening after Episode 14, which is expected to hit the schedule until this March. Whether or not the big change will be enough to bring some audiences back to the series remains to be seen, as the ABC drama has seen its numbers dwindle during Season 2. The show still does well via DVR, and more than doubles its live numbers in the days that follow, although that's relative to plenty of other network TV shows. ABC hasn't made a decision yet regarding whether or not the Priyanka Chopra-led series will return for Season 3, and maybe the removal of flashbacks really will have an effect on the final decision.
Catch Quantico on a new night on Monday, January 23 at 10 p.m. ET. In addition, you can take a look at what else is coming up at midseason with our TV premiere schedule.
