Starz has officially cancelled its supernatural spy series The Rook after one season. That show debuted in June of last year but barely registered in the ratings as it averaged only a 0.04 (four one-hundredths of a ratings point) based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic. The premium cable channels pay less attention to the same-day numbers because their shows are not beholden to advertisers, but those still act as a leading indicator of viewership. Apparently the show did not draw enough of an audience for the network to justify bringing it back for a second year. I had already been acting under the assumption that the show had ended because it was billed as a “limited series” and there had been no word on its fate since it wrapped up in August. TV Line broke the news earlier this week, and it has not been widely reported in the entertainment media at this point. I did not see a large fanbase developing around the show, so I doubt there will be much in the way of an effort to try and save it.
The Rook follows a woman who wakes up on Millennium Bridge in London surrounded by bodies, yet does not remember how she got there. She then discovers she is an agent for a secret British organization and possesses supernatural abilities. It stars Emma Greenwell, Joely Richardson, Jon Fletcher, Ronan Raftery, Catherine Steadman.
The current season will be winding down soon and we should expect to hear word on the fate of shows such as USA’s The Purge, ABC’s Emergence, and Syfy’s The Magicians. You can see the status of all the currently airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows on our Cancellation Watch Page. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
More from CancelledSciFi.com
Keep up with the ratings developments and the status of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Weekly Roundup posts. And join the #CancelledSciFiArmy on Twitter to bolster our ranks and help us fight for the struggling and cancelled sci fi and fantasy shows.
Follow our Sci Fi TV Top 5 column for the top sci fi TV stories each week.
Check out our Sci Fi TV Schedule for debut and season finale dates and follow our Weekly Listings for a rundown of the shows airing in the current week.
This is so damnably disappointing! I’m horrified but not surprised. First Counterpart and now this. . .And, of course, The Man in the High Castle has run out of gas. Is it my mistake or are more cerebral and less slam-bang shows thrown under the bus?
Of course, The Expanse (which is both) was brought back. But The Rook hasn’t attracted perhaps such an ‘expansive’ following?
Bye Bye Olivia Munn and no more Gestalt (dammmmmiiiitttttt)!
My system no longer carries STARZ and instead his given us EPIX, which is a bit of a junk drawer. Outlander just wasn’t enough to warrant subscribing but I’d have jumped onboard had The Rook made it to Season 2. As it stands now, STARZ can propel itself into a galaxy far, far away!!