Elementary season 7: Why is it ending its run on CBS?
Related Elementary video! – Check out some more thoughts on the show ending at the bottom of this article! Meanwhile, remember to subscribe for more updates and be sure to check out our show playlist.
As it turns out, trying to get an answer to this particular question can’t be defined in just a few words. There are a number of different reasons why a show can end, but in this case there are a few different factors. Before we continue, though, we should make it absolutely clear that there is a difference between a show being cancelled and a show ending. A show being canceled, in our mind, equals producers getting the new that the very last second or so late that they can’t make any changes to accommodate it. Here, the cast and crew knew in advance of the show ending and they were able to plan accordingly. That’s a pretty big big distinction, mostly because of the fact that it allows the writers to cultivate a fitting ending.
Now, let’s get to the reasons why Elementary is saying goodbye in the first place.
First, it is a matter of ratings. Elementary has seen some pretty low ratings on CBS for the past several years, but it has managed to stick around mostly because of strong International performance, DVR ratings, and also support via streaming. It is a show that makes a lot of money in a wide array of different ways, and that has helped that have a little bit of a longer life than it would have had if you are just looking at its live ratings alone. With that being said, ratings have still falling over the years and we may just be at a point now where it didn’t make a whole lot of sense for CBS to try to continue the show.
With that, it is a perfect transition over to the second point of discussion. We are talking now about cast contracts. Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu would require negotiations in the event that they were to continue on Elementary moving forward. If the show was getting higher ratings, maybe this could have been approached in a different way. Unfortunately, the ratings are what they are, and given that most actors often want more salary in order to continue a show past seven seasons, CBS may have been in a rather precarious position in the event that they wanted to renegotiate. This is even assuming that everyone was interested in returning for more episodes in the first place. In the world of television, there really aren’t any guarantees.
Finally, the third reason why Elementary is ending is a fairly simple one. It may just be a matter of everyone involved wanting to move on and do other things. This is perfectly acceptable at this point. We are talking about a show that has run on CBS for more than a hundred and fifty episodes! There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed about with that. It is a tremendous, fantastic run that almost any network would be happy with. The vast majority of new shows these days don’t get anywhere near that.
Related – More thoughts
What do you think about the idea of Elementary ending this season? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. (Photo: CBS.)