Mid-May is when the networks make their final decisions on what shows will be coming back for next season. That includes Alaska Daily, so has the newspaper drama survived for another year on ABC or not?
Premiering in the fall of 2022, Alaska Daily got attention for starring two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank. She played Eileen Fitzgerald, a successful, famous, and arrogant New York Times reporter. She did a huge story exposing a supposedly corrupt general only to be accused of making it up. That led to her being fired and blackballed.
Eileen ended up taking a job for a small newspaper in Anchorage, Alaska. While working with the dedicated staff, she becomes involved in local cases, particularly the disappearance of some native women and tries to expose the truth.
Jeff Perry, Grace Dove, Ami Park, and Pablo Castellbanco were co-starring as the series addressed issues from Native American issues to the realities of print media in the modern age.
The show had a plum time slot on Thursday nights following Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy, yet struggled to find an audience. Does that mean it won’t be returning for another season?
Is Alaska Daily Season 2 happening?
Sadly for fans, ABC has confirmed that Alaska Daily is indeed canceled. A key issue was that shortly after production began, Swank learned she was pregnant with twins. That caused delays in filming with a multi-month hiatus before the season ended in March with only 11 episodes.
That combined with the filming on location and in Canada and the low ratings not what ABC expected given the time slot. With the Writers Guild of America strike ongoing, ABC decided it wasn’t worth keeping the show, especially as Swank would have required more maternity leave before filming could begin.
While it’s disappointing to see a promising show end early, Alaska Daily has filed its last story on ABC.