'Mistresses' season 5 cancellation news: ABC cancels soap after four seasons
ABC has opted not to renew "Mistresses," its mystery drama/soap opera based on the U.K. series with the same name.
The series debuted in 2013 and wrapped its fourth season on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Following the season 4 finale, ABC announced that it will not be giving the summer soap another season, which meant that the polarizing conclusion of its fourth season now has to double as the series finale as well.
In the "Mistresses" season 4 finale, Dr. Karen Kim, the psychiatrist played by original series star Yunjin Kim, appeared to have died.
In a recent interview with TV Line, "Mistresses" executive producer Rina Mimoun said that she and "Mistresses" showrunner Josh Reims were tying to get the network to give the green light for another 13-episode season of the soap.
"We really feel like there's one more year of story to tell, but we're also looking for a graceful way to wrap up the series," she said. "There'd be some new hot messes in the mix, and we'd be moving back toward the kind of racy romp that 'Mistresses' was when it began," she added.
Expressing hope that "Mistresses" will continue on with a season 5, Mimoun told TV Line that the ABC bosses "didn't tell us to make a series finale" when they were in talks about the season 4 ender.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the cancellation of "Mistresses" followed a significant drop in the show's ratings. Its season 4 finale reportedly only drew half the number of viewers as its series debut.
Deadline noted that the "Mistresses" production has been a rocky one, with various location and cast changes. After filming seasons 1 and 2 in Los Angeles, the series relocated to Canada in an attempt to cut production costs. The move reportedly cost the show Alyssa Milano, its original lead. In the wake of Milano's departure, "Mistresses" cast Jennifer Esposito. The actress left after one season. In 2015, the series relocated back to Los Angeles where it filmed the fourth and fifth seasons.
On Saturday, Sept. 10, Brett Tucker, who played Harry Davis, reacted to the "Mistresses" cancellation. In a Twitter post, the actor wrote: "Hey there all you #Mistresses followers. Thanks so much 4 your support over 4 big seasons. Thanks for sharing the journey! Much love."