USA Network has canceled the anthology series Briarpatch after only one season. The news was shared by creator and showrunner Andy Greenwald, who revealed he’d known about the decision “for months,” only made it public via Twitter on Thursday.
“We had an amazing story planned for [Season 2], and I was lucky enough to work with the most amazing writers and crew, all of whom were itching to get back to work. I think we were going to do something special. And, hey, maybe we still will. If enough people keep checking the show out on-demand, anything’s possible — especially for an anthology series as weird as this one.” The creator closed with “nothing’s ever over until it’s over,” before tabling his optimism just a bit. “But if it’s over? What a way to go.”
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— Andy Greenwald (@andygreenwald) July 17, 2020
Briarpatch was first announced back in the summer of 2018 around the same time as the Bourne spinoff Treadstone, which was also canceled after one season. The offbeat crime drama was based on the 1984 Ross Thomas novel of the same name and starred Rosario Dawson as Allegra “Pick” Dill, who’s sister, Detective Felicity Dill, is killed in a car bombing. Following the bombing, Allegra, an investigator who works for a senator, returns home to Texas to find her sister’s killer. During her investigation, she uncovers a web of corruption in the small Texas town — and shares quite a few scenes with giraffes.
The show had earned some praise from critics for its skewed, Coen brothers-like take on noir-inspired small-town crime dramas, and also paralleled Dawson’s real-life wife just a bit. Back in March, the Daredevil star revealed that she’d been dating New Jersey Senator and former Presidential Candidate, Cory Booker.
Back in May, USA had also canceled The Purge, a series based on the popular horror/slasher series about a 12-hour period where all crime is legal, which managed to last two seasons. It also canceled drama Dare Me, another show that, too, only lasted a single season. The wave of cancellations comes as the cable network has been shifting to more unscripted programming recently. Instead, they appear intent on continuing with shows like Temptation Island and the latest iteration of The Biggest Loser. Not to mention WWE Raw.
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