Starz' 'Camelot' won't be back for a second season
In a season that saw a reemergence of , it is - the Starz network鈥檚 retelling of the classic Arthurian legend 鈥� that will be the one to concede defeat. The network has declined to continue production on the big-budget series beyond the first season.
Premiering in April of this year to numbers good enough to make it Starz鈥檚 highest-rated series debut ever (1.13 million viewers), Camelot certainly got off to a great start.
The ratings eroded significantly throughout the season, however 鈥� and while there was a significant uptick in viewership for the final few episodes 鈥� as well as the season finale (reports put the final episode鈥檚 audience at more than a million viewers) there were immediately questions as to whether this surge in ratings would be enough for the series to continue.
While the network has announced Camelot will not go on, they have sidestepped the issue of ratings and placed the blame squarely on the fluctuating schedules of the show鈥檚 cast.
According to , scheduling conflicts amongst some of the program鈥檚 stars like Joseph Feinnes, Jamie Campbell Bower and Eva Green were substantial enough that, along with other issues, Starz simply decided to throw in the towel.
With Bower recently cast in Screen Gem鈥檚 adaptation of , and Green having a role in Tim Burton鈥檚 , it鈥檚 easy to see how it might be difficult to secure the stars for the season鈥檚 lengthy shoot in Ireland.
The network announced the series鈥� end with the following statement:
鈥淒ue to significant production challenges, Starz has decided not to exercise the option for subsequent seasons of Camelot with our production partners GK-tv, Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions.鈥�
Another 鈥榩roduction challenge鈥� could be the cost of the series in relation to its prospective revenue. With a period drama such as Camelot 鈥� which relied heavily on elaborate costumes, props and set pieces 鈥� the budget (rumored to be in the millions per episode) likely played a large role in the network鈥檚 decision to discontinue production.
Additionally, although it was received moderately well, Camelot was not without its detractors. Many found it to be a poor substitute for Starz鈥檚 other hit series, Spartacus,which won鈥檛 return to the network until early 2012. Also, let us not forget that Camelot had the misfortune of airing around the same time as HBO鈥檚 similarly-themed , which, in comparison, saw its ratings and acclaim rise with each passing episode 鈥� the effect of which likely played negatively on the flailing Camelot.
In terms of the content, the series struggled to find its legs 鈥� seemingly meandering through several episodes 鈥� unsure how best to translate the abstract nature of the program鈥檚 central theme. At one moment Camelot was a romantic period piece, with Arthur torn between his duty as a king and his love for Guinevere, the wife of his champion Leontes (), while the next moment it was delving into the mystery of Merlin (Joseph Feinnes) and Morgan鈥檚 (Eva Green) mystical abilities.
All in all, the parts didn鈥檛 create a compelling enough whole.
Though Camelot was not the success it was hoping for, Starz still has plenty of original content to look forward to 鈥� starting with the premiere of in July. Afterward, the network has Boss with , the crime saga starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and the long-delayed second season of , entitled Spartacus: Vengeance starring as the new Thracian warrior-turned-rebel-leader.
Source: ,
Kevin Yeoman blogs at .
------------------------------------------------------------
海角大神 has assembled a diverse group of music, film, and television bloggers. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by The Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own and they are responsible for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click .
