BBC cancelled The Hour, which aired here on BBC America. Apparently this is old news, but I only found out this morning when I innocently searched for “When does season 3 of The Hour start on BBC America?” I was sad to learn that the answer is “never.”
The Hour was set in a newsroom in 1950s London. It had a great cast: Romola Garai, Dominic West, Ben Whishaw, Anna Chancellor. It was well written, blending historical events with fictional characters. It featured strong women.
Although set a decade earlier it had a similar vintage feel as Mad Men. Buzzfeed even declared The Hour to be the British Mad Men and posted 8 GIFs to prove it. But The Hour was not a Mad Men rip off. The Hour was as good, if not better, than Mad Men. Still I fear that coming on the heels of Mad Men‘s success probably hurt The Hour. People didn’t feel the need for another retro drama. What a shame.
Finding out that The Hour was cancelled reminds me of when I learned that AMC canceled Rubicon. That was another time I was late to hear the news. Someone on Twitter asked for TV series recommendations. I named Rubicon, and someone else chimed in, “Wasn’t that cancelled?” I wish she had been wrong.
Rubicon was cancelled after one riveting season. The Hour was cancelled after two.
Meanwhile the Real Housewives franchise persists. Sigh.
RELATED POST: 40 favorite cancelled TV shows (theme songs & trailers)
Subscribe to Listing Toward Forty. Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.
Kim Z. Dale 