Summer Status Report: Is Mistresses on ABC canceled for good?

Given that the thick of the summer TV season is now upon us, this is the time in which you do start to wonder whether or not some of your favorite shows are returning. This includes ABC’s Mistresses, a show that generated a passionate following when it was on the air. There aren’t all that many shows out there quite like it when it comes to being a compelling, entertaining primetime soap. It was funny at times and heartbreaking at others.

If you’re looking for more episodes of Mistresses this summer, odds are you will be disappointed: The show isn’t coming back for another season. Last week was the final one, and that’s probably made all the more heart-wrenching thanks to some of the cliffhangers that were present at the end of the season. This was the sort of show that was always destined to end on some sort of big cliffhanger, since they always wanted to keep you guessing and discussing what could be happening next. The only way that wasn’t going to happen was in the event the show got a final season far in advance, and they could plot more with a desired ending in mind.

Why didn’t ABC renew the show? In addition to them losing more and more of the original cast with virtually each passing season, there was also another big issue here when it comes to the ratings. The show only averaged a woeful 0.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic through most of the summer, which was a drop of 19% from the season before. If it dropped by that margin again, we’d likely be seeing a ton of 0.5 ratings or even worse. There is a case to be made that ABC did renew shows with demo ratings close to this past season, but some of those shows have larger global audiences and streaming deals that help to ensure that they make some money in some other ways. We are now in the era, after all, where there are so many different ways in which a series can be properly monetized. It’s not just about making money in linear ratings anymore.

Are you going to miss Mistresses over the course of the summer season? Be sure to share some more of your thoughts below!

Meanwhile, head over to this link in the event you do want to retrieve some further news when it comes to Mistresses, including reviews from some of the recent episodes of the show. (Photo: ABC.)