The entertainment business has never been a sure thing. While movies and television shows from specific genres have thrived for a limited period, with so many options for what to watch today, that's not the case anymore. The streaming options developed to such an extent that there is too much content and not enough time to watch it. This has been one of the reasons why so many television shows have been canceled, including the CBS spy show True Lies.
True Lies tells the story of a seemingly ordinary married couple, Helen Tasker (Ginger Gongaza) and Harry Tasker (Steve Howey). Helen is a linguist professor feeling bored with her life which only consists of her job and taking care of the kids and the house. Things quickly take a turn, and excitement and action won't stop happening as Helen discovers that her husband, whom she thought worked in tech sales, is a skilled international spy. Now, she will have to work with him, helping on his crazy missions, including going undercover.
Unfortunately, the series didn't get a chance to continue its story in a second season, and here's precisely what happened, as well as a bit more information about the series' origins and other cancelations and renewals CBS made.
What True Lies Is Based On
The television series True Lies is not an original idea but rather an IP that has had not one but two movies made about it. There has been an increased interest by production companies in producing new versions or spin-offs of already-known stories. While this has always been a part of the industry, the increase in productions being announced, especially of successful modern franchises such as Harry Potter and Twilight, is astonishing.
The CBS show True Lies falls into that category. Many remember James Cameron's hit comedy movie Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jaime Lee Curtis from 1994. However, the Cameron film was actually a remake. Cameron was one of the executive producers of the television version of the story, which kept some of the comedic and lighthearted elements of the movie, but with a PG-13 rating.
The French movie La Totale! by director Claude Zidi is the story's original version. The film starred actors Thierry Lhermitte and Miou-Miou as the main couple and was released in 1991, only three years before Cameron released his version. One sure thing is that spy stories never get old, as shown by the 007 franchise with 25 films, which had its first film released in 1967. Audiences everywhere continue to watch these crazy adventures, so it is a somewhat safer bet for studios to make than other subgenres, but that doesn't mean it always works out.
Why Was True Lies Canceled?
Unfortunately, numerous television series have been canceled in the past few months. With so many new options to watch daily, the ones that get renewed have to stand out from the rest quite significantly. It is always a shame for fans of these stories who never see where the showrunners intended to take it. True Lies' cancelation was announced before the finale aired. The episode ended with a cliffhanger, which is always a bummer for fans as there isn't any closure at the show's end.
CBS viewers' statings did show a somewhat loyal number of viewers, but it wasn't enough to maintain the show on the air. That, combined with various poor reviews, made the show the lowest-rated series of this season on the channel. It boiled down to the financial side of the business, which can be pretty brutal at times.
But, there is also an important statement being made by various people in the industry, reminding the executive who make these cuts that many of the great TV shows everyone watched, such as Friends and even The Sopranos, had multiple seasons to develop and become the story the audience loved so much. To take a series off the air after only a season may be reasonable in some cases. Still, in others, it appears to be the new modus operandi of production companies rather than a more thought-out decision.
Not The Only One
True Lies wasn't the only show on CBS that got canceled. The series East New York, a procedural cop drama, was also airing only its first season and was scrapped. Nevertheless, there has been a significant list of renewed shows by the channel, including more seasoned series, as is the case of the crime show 48 Hours, which is going on its 36th season. And some newer shows that passed the first season check and got to continue their story in a second season, like the law drama So Help Me Todd, among many others.
Sometimes, if the productions are very lucky and have fans that will fight for their beloved show, being canceled doesn't necessarily mean the end. CBS announced merely days after communicating that the action-packed S.W.A.T's sixth season would be the last they heard fans and were reversing their decision. The series will have a chance to tie loose ends and give the fans a much-deserved ending in a seventh and final season. This is uncommon, as even when streaming services or production companies regret canceling a show, they usually go the "finish it with a movie route" rather than give it a whole new season.