Why Was Legacies Cancelled and Can It Be Saved?

Legacies first premiered on The CW in the Fall of 2018, arriving as a spin-off from the supernatural drama The Originals which itself was a spin-off from the long-running The Vampire Diaries.  Legacies delivered the third installment in the franchise following Hope Mikaelson who descends from some of the most powerful vampire, werewolf, and witch bloodlines and who possesses notable abilities herself.  As with the other two shows in the franchise, Legacies proved popular and appeared to be on track for at least a five-season run if not more.  But things changed at its network, and the show was cut short at four seasons.

The CW has been known for supporting its shows over the past ten years, typically allowing them to go for at least four seasons if they make it past the first despite the ratings.  But during the 2021-22 season the network was entertaining offers from new buyers and Nextar Media Group became the top contender to purchase a majority share.  The current proposal is that Nextar will own 75% of the network and previous owners CBS/Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery will each retain 12.5%.  In the lead-up to this sale (which is not final yet), the current CW execs decided to clean up the programming slate for the incoming owners and cancel the “underperforming” shows.  Legacies was caught in that round of cancellations.

The thing is, the network’s definition of “underperforming” was dubious at best.  Legends of Tomorrow got the ax after seven seasons, yet it was one of the network’s only shows that improved in the ratings year-over-year.  The numbers for Legacies were down, but it was still performing well for the network and certainly better than low-rated Riverdale and Nancy Drew which both got renewed.  More likely is the possibility that shows like Legacies and Legends of Tomorrow would not fit well with the conservative-leaning Nextar’s plan for a “wholesome” lineup of Prime Time programming.  The LGBTQ+ representation and diverse cast and storylines once championed by The CW would not play well to the audience the new owners will be targetting.

Fans immediately made their voices heard after the cancellation and they have been keeping the show trending with the hashtags #SaveLegacies and #RenewLegacies and an online petition is approaching 40K signatures as of this writing.  There are also efforts to raise money to fund a billboard to bring attention to the show.  And it certainly seems like it would be in the best interest of the studios to get at least one more season from this one to get it past the 80-episode mark that makes it more attractive to the syndication market (where shows really turn a profit).

The problem with this show is that there may be too many interested parties to work out a deal.  I believe that CBS/Paramount is the primary owner of the property, but Warner Bros. Discovery has a stake in the show as well.  And Netflix currently holds the streaming rights, so that keeps Legacies from making the jump to Paramount+ or HBO Max to continue its run.  Perhaps a fifth season could happen on Netflix if all parties can work out an arrangement (that streamer also has the rights to TVD and The Originals), but those deals are not always as simple as they seem.

The best bet at this point is for the fifth season to happen on The CW, even if Nextar Media Group is resistant to airing the show, because the network has the broadcast rights and the streaming deal with Netflix could continue as is.  Fans should ramp up efforts to lobby the network to reverse the cancellation and also try to get previous seasons showing up in the Nielsen and/or Netflix Top 10 similar to what we saw with Manifest.  If it is obvious that large numbers of people are watching the show, that would put the pressure on The CW either greenlight a fifth season for broadcast or allow Netflix to run with it.  ANd the studios do have a vested interest in keeping the show around to get it to a syndication-friendly count of episodes.  But those efforts need to happen RIGHT NOW and the fans need to make a LOT of noise.  Certainly the contracts for the cast and crew have expired or will soon, so the window will be closing on the chances of getting this show to a fifth season.

We have seen other cancelled shows saved over the past few years, and there is still a chance for Legacies.  The network could greenlight a fifth year for a late-season run or Netflix could continue the show as it did with Manifest.  It is all in the hands of the fans now, though, and if they make enough noise then the story of Hope Mikaelson could continue.

Did you watch Legacies and will you help with fan efforts to save the show?

CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates.

SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.