Following a large (if not mountainous) number of recent network TV cancellations, audiences may soon hear about one show getting saved from its seemingly doomed fate. It looks like ABC's Whiskey Cavalier, which aired its Season 1 finale on Wednesday, could possibly get resurrected for Season 2...at ABC!
Near the end of a freshman season that delivered high-octane action, global settings, and oodles of romantic chemistry, Whiskey Cavalier was shockingly given the axe by ABC. The network cited low ratings and the lack of an opportunity for growth as the reasons behind the cancellation decision. So has something changed?
It's not entirely clear what anyone's thinking processes are, but TVLine is reporting that multiple sources are saying ABC is seriously considering reversing Whiskey Cavalier's cancellation. The talks are ongoing between the network and Warner Bros. Television, with one unnamed source saying the odds are split right down the middle. Naturally, neither studio was willing to comment on the matter, so for now, it all remains behind locked doors. (This group is good at getting through locked doors.)
Considering everyone involved with Whiskey Cavalier has been moving forward with the assumption that they didn't have that job anymore, it'll probably take some efforts to secure the cast and crew anew. Considering both that and the fact that ABC's fall schedule is all filled up, the plan would reportedly be to once again hold Whiskey Cavalier back to give the potential Season 2 a winter premiere.
ABC's powers that be weren't wrong when noting that Whiskey Cavalier's ratings and viewership took a noteworthy dip after a few rather successful early weeks. The levity-filled drama does have a healthy DVR audience, though, with its delayed-viewing audience often pulling higher than its Live + Same Day viewership.
The late-blooming viewers definitely justify the widespread rallying cries that sounded when Whiskey Cavalier got cancelled in the first place. Social media was flooded with posts saying "#SaveWhiskeyCavalier." Executive producer Bill Lawrence, creator of Scrubs and Cougar Town, has also been vocal about Whiskey Cavalier's fate on social media, and he used the season finale as a call to arms to the fanbase.
Bill Lawrence also stated on Twitter that if Whiskey Cavalier didn't end up getting a Season 2 renewal, that he and creator David Hemingson would end up revealing the aftermath of the season finale's big cliffhanger. As well as showing off a particular moment that went down between Will and Frankie. We'll discuss lower.
Spoilers below for Whiskey Cavalier's finale, so be sure to have watched before reading on below the image.
The least deadly of the two cliffhanger plot points involved Will and Frankie very nearly breaking through their respective boundaries in order to share a kiss. The "will they?/won't they?" elements in Season 1 were some of Whiskey Cavalier's strongest points, so capping things off with a smooch would have gotten some major cheers. Either way it goes, though, we'll at least get to see how that turned out.
On the less optimistic side of things, Tyler James Williams' Edgar Standish had a truly disastrous episode. He learned that his romantic interest Tina was a double agent and was working with Ollerman all along. Later, just before the credits hit, Ollerman made a surprise return after it looked as if he'd jumped out a building earlier in the episode, and he stabbed Standish in a way that made it look like death was all but certain.
It doesn't seem like Whiskey Cavalier would have killed off a member of its main team so early in the show's history, but the cancellation certainly didn't help Standish's chances of survival. Hopefully fans will get answers soon in one way or another before the summer TV season kicks off.
Do you guys want to see ABC renew Whiskey Cavalier, or would you rather the multi-genre series go to another network or streaming service? Let us know in the comments, and check out what Scott Foley wants to see in a potential Season 2.
