‘Graceland’ season 3: Show creator optimistic about renewal hopes

Will we see more of “Graceland” beyond season 2? That’s something we are still wondering. The show drew a 0.5 rating in the 18-49 demographic for the finale, which is solid, but not necessarily spectacular. USA hasn’t tipped its cap one way or another this summer, and the truth is that they have many decisions to make. New series “Rush” and “Satisfaction” have struggled, “Royal Pains” is still a possibility despite a big viewer drop, and there’s also “Covert Affairs” to think about.

So did the show’s uncertain future really impact the decision by creator Jeff Eastin to end “Graceland” on a cliffhanger? Not at all. As he told TV Guide in an interview published after the finale, he discussed the creative process, and touted the show’s DVR ratings:

“It really didn’t. For example, knowing full well that White Collar Season 6 would be the final season obviously impacted the storytelling. But we laid out the plan for Season 2, and very early on we realized we would not resolve [nearly] any of the story lines. Amber is the only story line we resolved this year and USA never said stop. Knock on wood, we haven’t heard an official pick-up from USA for Season 3, but our DVR numbers are actually doing pretty well. Nielsen Live +7 numbers are trending up nicely. All signs point to yes. Until we hear otherwise, we’re moving forward and pretending we have a Season 3.”

The biggest thing that USA needs to do right now is focus on re-establishing their image, and then figuring out what shows they want to be a part of it. The problem they are suffering is that they still sell themselves as this cheery network with lighthearted shows, but there is so much more that they have to offer.