Good Behavior canceled at TNT — why season 3 isn’t happening
Today, we come bearing the frustrating cancellation news that pretty much no one wanted to hear — Good Behavior is done. There is no season 3 coming for the Michelle Dockery – TNT drama, despite having a passionate, eager fan base who clearly wanted more.
The news of the cancellation comes more or less a good year after the second season aired on the network; for months, questions lingered on the series’ future for a variety of reasons, including some behind-the-scenes rejiggering with TNT and its parent companies. There was so much hope from creator Chad Hodge and others working on the show that somehow, the misadventures of Letty (Michelle Dockery), a thief trying to get her life back together, would pop up on the small screen once again. It’s just not happening.
At the bottom of this article, you can read some of what Hodge had to say about the show (via Instagram). His message comes from the heart and really let’s fans know how much this show meant to him. This was a show that existed mostly on the strength of people who cared, people who really understood the show and its clever, eclectic sense of humor. We loved everything about this show from hijinks at a Holiday Inn Express to Letty as a drag queen to countless alter egos, wigs, costumes, and accents. This was one of those rare shows where every episode was different and felt like a movie in itself. It will be truly missed by us, especially since it doesn’t seem as though there is a season 3 coming elsewhere for the time being. We like to operate under a strict never-say-never policy for the future; you never want to write anything off as forever in this business, though you also don’t want to cling to hope if there isn’t much.
For those who want a bonus scene that could have been from season 3, Hodge has that for you as well.
Why is Good Behavior canceled?
The simple, short, and super-disappointing answer is that the ratings just weren’t good enough for a season 3. Season 2 averaged a 0.2 rating in the 18-49 demographic and under 600,000 total viewers a week. Those are bad numbers by TNT standards; heck, they are bad by any cable network standards. As much as we love this show (and we really do love it!) we’re never going to sugarcoat anything for you here at CarterMatt and the truth of the matter is that those ratings aren’t going to get shows renewed, even in an era where there are a ton of shows coming back with small live+same-day viewership. Its DVR numbers may have been solid, but that only goes so far. Live viewers are the best way to monetize any series.
Good Behavior may always go down as one of cable’s most-interesting cancellation conundrums, because this is a series that always should have been more popular than it was. It had everything going for it to be a mainstream hit, whether it be humor, personality, a story that was procedural enough that viewers could jump in at any time, and even a Downton Abbey star in Dockery. It should have been a hit and it’s still hard to figure out why it wasn’t. Blame promotion, blame a tough timeslot, or just blame a landscape where there was too much competition. It doesn’t really matter what you want to blame, because the truth is that the series is over and rather than playing the blame game, it’s better off to recognize this series for what it was — fantastic fun, well-written, and worthy of a re-watch any day of the week. TNT can’t take away from two killer seasons or a loyal legion of people who wanted it back.
For now, let’s close this out and hear your thoughts. Sound off on the Good Behavior cancellation below in whatever way you choose.