‘Blood & Oil’ episode order cut to 10 by ABC; cancellation likelier than ever
We’re seeing a pretty interesting trend emerging from most broadcast networks this season. Rather than just outright going ahead and canceling some shows that are in danger of going away, executives are instead trimming episode orders, potentially giving shows more proper conclusions, and probably trying to do their part to ensure that there are fewer people angry at them in the end.
The latest exhibit comes courtesy of the Chace Crawford series “Blood & Oil.” Following some weeks of disappointing ratings despite being sandwiched between two fairly-successful shows in “Once Upon a Time” and “Quantico,” ABC has announced that there will only be ten episodes rather than 13, which was the original plan.
There are a variety of reasons seemingly why this show has struggled, with The Hollywood Reporter citing a number of creative issues behind the scenes. One thing that we feel has held them back slightly is the current ABC culture of creating shows just for the sake of making huge, shocking twists that don’t always have to make a whole lot of sense. Apparently, the original team for “Blood & Oil” was a little more interested in something that appeals beyond the Twitter generation, and that isn’t meshing with what many other ABC shows are doing at present in hyping up their big “shock” moments that we see time and time again.
After these ten episodes ABC will probably claim that there is still some hope for the future of “Blood & Oil,” but we figure that after this move, the show will eventually be quietly canceled at some point in May when the network is making up their fall schedule.
If you missed it, head over here to check out some other big announcements today when it comes to new series “The Player,” “Limitless,” and “Code Black.” Also, you can sign up right away in the event you want some other TV news on everything we cover, sent right over to you via our CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ABC.)