Man, it is tough being a TV fan, right? Sometimes the perfect show comes along, which fits your sensibilities just right and manages to debut at just the right time in your life, and it actually becomes appointment viewing for you, even with the dozens upon dozens of choices we have when it comes to televised entertainment now. But, because of all of those options, even our favorites can have a hard time finding an audience, and we all, eventually, have to deal with a show we love to watch getting the boot. While fans of NBC's Good Girls were truly upset to hear that the show had been cancelled after four seasons, we might now know why it got the axe, and two of the shows stars are involved.
Now, before you jump to any wild conclusions, a report from TV Line notes that all of the women at the center of Good Girls, Retta, Christina Hendricks, and Mae Whitman, had agreed to take pay cuts so that the crime dramedy could continue for a shortened Season 5. Obviously, that planned eight-episode season would have given fans a true ending for the story of three cash-strapped suburban moms who turn to a life of crime, and then end up with way more trouble than they intended. Apparently, the renewal looked like a done deal, with production set for spring 2022, but the show was cancelled a month later.
Multiple sources to the outlet, who have ties to Good Girls, its production company Universal Television, and NBC, are saying that money wasn't the issue behind the cancellation, but possible behind the scenes issues between lead Christina Hendricks and co-star Manny Montana, who plays Rio, the crime boss constantly holding the women's lives in his hands, might be. It's being said that contract negotiations with Montana hit a big snag in the middle of June, with both money and scheduling being a problem for the actor.
However, there's speculation that Montana's somewhat strained working relationship with Hendricks may have led him to disagree with the terms of the deal he was being offered, with the thought being that he was unwilling to deal with those on-set tensions and a cut in pay. While no one connected with Hendricks, Montana, Good Girls, its production company, or NBC has responded to those claims, it's been seen as an open secret that Hendricks and Montana weren't very fond of each other, based on comments made during interviews by each of them.
If you spent any time at all watching Good Girls, though, you will know that none of that potential animosity came across on camera, at least not when it shouldn't. The sexual tension-filled relationship between Hendricks' Beth and Montana's Rio is one of the things that fans really (really) love about the show, with many lamenting on Twitter, weekly, when the pair wasn't in scenes together and bemoaning the existence of Beth's husband, Dean (Matthew Lillard), because he was yet another obstacle for her and Rio.
Their constant battles and flirtatious nature definitely helped to fuel the show, but many see the idea that Good Girls was cancelled because a supporting male character wouldn't sign on as "ironic. And suspicious." The series was never a big ratings winner for NBC (though it does very well on Netflix, which came close to picking it up), so some believe that the studio was looking for any excuse to cancel the show.
Good Girls isn't quite done yet, as the two-hour series finale will air on Thursday, July 22, at 9 p.m. EST.
