CBS has cancelled Instinct, and the series’ showrunner has explained how Season 2 will very quickly end the series. Instinct’s showrunner, Michael Rauch, shared the sad news with fans on Twitter. After two seasons, the drama will come to an end, and not too far into the future. Check out Rauch’s tweet below:
A grateful Michael Rauch shared his thanks to Instinct’s leads, Alan Cumming and Bojana Novakovic. As revealed in his tweet, Instinct will hastily make its exit from CBS’ lineup. The crime drama will conclude with its second season finale, which will double as its series ender. It will air the Sunday after next on August 25.
The sad news of Instinct not getting renewed for Season 3 comes after a sophomore season that has struggled in the ratings. Season 2 saw Instinct’s Season 1 demo rating slashed in half, per TVLine. The series’ second season has drawn of an average of 3.4 million viewers and ranked last in the demos.
The ratings often tell the story. Did they contribute to CBS’ decision to cancel Instinct? It is highly possible. Personal instinct indicates that it probably played a role. In case you were wondering, Instinct's showrunner also weighed in on the chances of the show getting rescued. Here was his response to a fan:
Fans will have to stay tuned to find out if Instinct eventually finds a new home elsewhere. Netflix has been known to save cancelled network series. Albeit, it recently had to cancel one of its rescues.
Word of Instinct's cancellation may not come as a complete shock to fans considering the news that made the rounds back in June. That was when it was reported that Instinct’s lead, Alan Cumming, had landed a new show. That series is the USA drama Briarpatch, which has Cumming starring opposite Rosario Dawson.
The lead of an existing show landing a new one tends to be a not-so-great omen for the pre-existing series. Instinct fans will have to tune in to see how the show wraps up. Hopefully, without a cliffhanger that makes its cancellation all the more stinging.
Here is the second part of Instinct showrunner Michael Rauch’s tweet addressing the series’ cancellation:
There are only three episodes of Instinct left. The series will near the end of its run with two back-to-back episodes tomorrow (Sunday, August 18). Followed by the finale next week, per Instinct showrunner Michael Rauch’s response to TVLine’s Matt Mitovich. Check it out below:
Instinct premiered in March of 2018, making it a midseason offering. Last year, Instinct was accused of ripping off of a plotline from Fox’s long-running procedural, Bones. The showrunner responded to the claims.
Instinct’s second season premiered this past June, almost a year after Season 1 concluded. Instinct stars the mega-talented Alan Cumming as Dr. Dylan Reinhart. He is an author, university professor, and former CIA paramilitary officer. All of the ingredients for a memorable procedural character.
Instinct’s initial premise hinged on Dr. Reinhart’s expertise being called upon by a detective with the NYPD, Elizabeth Needham (Bojana Novakovic). In his review, CinemaBlend’s Corey Chichizola felt Alan Cumming was not able to save it.
News of Instinct’s cancellation comes after CBS cancelled the series Ransom, and also cancelled Nina Dobrev's sitcom Fam after one season. The network recently bid farewell to long-running fan-favorite, Elementary, shortly after losing The Big Bang Theory. Meanwhile, Hawaii Five-O is prepping its tenth season with the introduction of an Arrow star and filming on NCIS: Los Angeles Season 11 has gotten underway.
New episodes of Instinct air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. The series finale will air August 25. To help cope with the cancellation news try to look forward to this fall’s premieres.
