ABC Scraps ‘Revenge’ Revival

ABC has passed on its proposed follow-up to Revenge. The series, which starred Emily VanCamp and ran between 2011 and 2015, had a “sequel” series in development, though it won’t be happening now.

The new Revenge would have followed a young Latina immigrant who arrives in Malibu, California to exact revenge on a pharmaceutical dynasty that caused “the murder of her biochemist mother, the destruction of her family and a global epidemic.” As TVLine reports, the woman would have been guided by a fan-favorite from the original run, which was rumored to be Gabriel Mann’s Nolan. Mike Kelley, who created the original series, was set to return as an executive producer for the sequel along with Joe Fazzio, who wrote and produced multiple episodes during the initial run. It was in the vein of the original Revenge, which told the story of a young woman (VanCamp) who came to the Hamptons to exact revenge on a wealthy family that betrayed her and her father.

Revenge took its inspiration from The Count of Monte Cristo by author Alexandre Dumas. It was a breakout hit when it premiered in 2011, though ratings declined after a few years when streaming became more prevalent. It wrapped up after four seasons in 2015, and ended with a massive fan following and proved to be an international success.

While the Revenge sequel series was never formally canceled, as it never aired, ABC has taken a few shows off its slate as the industry is still figuring out how to adapt to the coronavirus pandemic after months-long shutdowns. The Disney-owned network also pulled the plug on Schooled, Emergence, Bless This Mess, Single Parents, Kids Say The Darndest Things and The Baker and the Beauty. The latter of which earned a response from star Nathalie Kelley.

“A cancellation by ABC means that there are now no shows on the networks with a Latin cast,” Kelley posted to Instagram back in June, before sharing that there remains hope another network or streaming service could pick up the show for future seasons. She also encouraged her fans to sign a petition to save the series. “We need to send a message to these platforms that diversity matters.” She also called the decision by the network to be “tone-deaf.”