BBC One have today announced that their historical drama programme The White Queen has not been commissioned for a second season of episodes. The show commenced its first run on June 10th, focusing on the troubled build-up to the reign of King Edward IV in the midst of the War of the Roses. At first, critic reviews were positive, but as the first season continued its broadcasting it became clear to many that this felt like something of a rip-off of the Game of Thrones franchise.
Currently, the BBC are saying that The White Queen was only ever intended for a single season, making this decision not to re-commission seem logical. However, all is not necessarily as it quite seems- most shows do tend to only be commissioned for a single season at a time, but that rarely stops them being commissioned for further seasons if the programme becomes a ratings success. The White Queen kicked off with six million viewers, yet soon enough it was struggling to even reach the four million mark of viewers. Season lows of four million viewers aren't uncommon in the UK, with non-mainstream dramas such as Doctor Who, Luther and Merlin occasionally falling prey to these in calmer weeks with less promotion, but for a first season to so constantly struggle to hit even this total was concerning, perhaps making its cancellation less of a surprise.
The White Queen is available now on DVD and Blu-Ray. For all the latest news on BBC One's drama developments, commissions and cancellations, keep it On-Screen in the weeks ahead!
No comments:
Post a Comment