ABC’s ‘The Quest’: Could a season 2 be possible?

If you enjoy “The Quest,” then tonight has to be a bittersweet night. From one vantage point, this is the chance to find out who is the One True Hero, but on the flip side, this may also be the last episode of the series.

We’ve discussed renewal opportunities at times in the past, but this is the best chance to do so. Ratings-wise, things are not looking great for the show. With ratings under 2 million viewers and around a 0.3-0.4 rating in the demo, these ratings would be a close call for a renewal on cable TV, let alone a major network. Still, there is a loyal fan community, DVR buzz out there, and the opportunity for another story to be told. ABC at times has not done the show any favors, placing it on during the summer and forcing it against NFL football and other things the past several weeks. Also, doubling up the final episodes doesn’t help.

The thing here is, though, that we’ve been surprised by renewals before. We though “Beauty and the Beast” had little to no shot at returning, and we were negative on “Community” and “Halt and Catch Fire” coming back. If ABC does end the show, maybe another network will decide to pick the series up. All it really takes is one suitor who believes in the show and wants to make it something great. (Personally, we just feel like the branding would work well with what Yahoo Screen and Hulu are doing these days.)

Even if “The Quest” does not return in its current form, it is possible we could see this format again somewhere else, only in a slightly-different form. ABC tried something similar last night in “Whodunnit,” which really should have been renewed. There is great potential here for there to be a great hit, but they need to find that right mixture of quality and promotion. “The Quest” was excellent, but it never received the platform it deserved this season.

Update: After watching the finale, and that cliffhanger, we basically want a season 2 more than ever. It may be unlikely, but this may have been one of the best conclusions to a reality show we’ve seen in a long time. The winner actually felt like a winner, and even with no discernible prize for winning, they all got to take part in that badass fight sequence.