Life Sentence cancellation is the biggest injustice of 2018
The CW has officially decided to cancel Life Sentence. While it won’t be shocking news to everyone, it is the biggest injustice of the 2018 renewal/cancellation season.
Life Sentence isn’t getting the miracle Stella Abbott had. Lucy Hale has confirmed that The CW has opted to cancel the freshman series. Unfortunately, the series just didn’t resonate with enough people. And already I find myself mourning a show that wasn’t even around for long, a little like I did with Powerless last year. This is the biggest injustice of the 2018 renewal/cancellation year.
While not the biggest dramedy of the year (it was CW, so it was never going to get a lot of views) there was a lot of hope for this series. It was something different that could stand out in a class of its own. Maybe being on a streaming service like Netflix would have served it better, so it wasn’t relying on the live viewing figures (or maybe it’s time for networks to look at other things as we move into a digital age).
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Life Sentence offered hope. When you were down, you could look forward to Wednesday (and then Friday) nights. You just knew that you’d see some positivity, despite everything going wrong around the main characters. Stella proved there was life after what seemed like death and that it was possible to push forward despite never really thinking about the future or consequences before.
Love could win through arguments and ICE situations. Families would come together in a time of crisis. There was hope for those with a terminal illness, but also support for those who wouldn’t get the positive outcomes they’d need. Those who had survived a terminal illness had a show that included many of the feelings they’d had: hope for the future, fear of the unexpected, and love for those who had been close by throughout it all.
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This wasn’t just one of those teen dramedgies that overlooks the important adult decisions. Never has it been a series that will just be forgotten about in the way that so many others have. It joins the ranks of so many shows that have gone too soon.
At least unlike Powerless, this isn’t because of the network. The CW tried to make Life Sentence work. While a move to Friday nights could have been viewed as a death sentence, it seemed to be more of an experiment. Would Fridays offer the second chance it needed in a way that Dynasty got? Unfortunately not.
While it is the biggest injustice, it doesn’t look to be anyone’s fault. It’s just a show that didn’t quite resonate with enough people and it may just have been on in the wrong space in the digital era. I wish the cast and crew all the best moving into this uncertain time. Thank you to all for bringing this show and working your hardest.
Next: 5 reasons The CW needs to renew Life Sentence
Are you upset at Life Sentence getting canceled? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Life Sentence will still air Fridays at 9/8c on The CW to finish out its season.