‘Katy Keene’ Cancelled At The CW

Lucy Hale has seen her second CW series cancelled in as many years.
In a move which some see as shocking, Deadline reports the freshmen CW series Katy Keene has been cancelled by the network. The program stars Hale as the title character, a would-be fashion designer who inhabits a romantic comedy version of New York as upbeat as Riverdale is dark and mysterious. The two series share a continuity and castmember Ashleigh Murray, who played Josie McCoy in both towns. Beyond its Archie Comics connection, the series also has strong CW bonafides as another Berlanti Productions project for the network.
These connections, and the network’s decision to ask for extra scripts after just a few episodes aired, suggested the program might become a darling. But it seems its soft over-air ratings made it a rare one-season wonder for the network. Sadly for Hale, her previous CW series, 2018’s Life Sentence, was also cancelled after a mid-season start and soft ratings.
This time, though, there may yet be a happy ending for Katy, Josie, and their third roomate Jorge (Jonny Beauchamp). Warner Bros. Television extended the stars contracts through the end of the July just as the network dragged its feet on a renewal. It is possible the series could be revived either on Netflix, which runs the Berlanti-produced and Archie-derived Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, or HBO Max, where the first season of Katy Keene has its main streaming home. In order for this to happen, a decision would have to be made quickly. It is a slight hope, though, as cast and crew comments on Twitter seem to already treat this as the end.
In a tearful Instagram video, Hale said she was “grateful” for the show and encouraged fans to support it by watching it again on HBO Max. “They didn’t pay me to say this,” she added.
The departure of Katy Keene means the network, co-ran by WarnerMedia and CBS, now has a open slot for WBTV program in its 2021 mid-season. Perhaps the faltering of Katy Keene is good news for Green Arrow and the Canaries, the Arrow spinoff which is still in limbo as the network shifted all of its new Fall programing to 2021. That may also be wishful thinking, though, as the network already has plenty of superheroes and other audiences it would like to court.