April 2025 was a quiet month for cancellation and renewal decisions, especially when it came to the crime drama niche. The big networks had already made most of their decisions, with just a few coming in during the month and others being held until May.
There was some news on pilots from the big networks, though. That led to both good and bad news for fans of various franchises. It’s time to look back and remember what was renewed and canceled across the broadcast networks, cable, and streaming services in April 2025. After all, May is already shaping out to be a big month!
All the crime dramas canceled in April 2025
We’ll start with the bad news first. One of the first cancellations to come through was Almost Paradise from Prime Video, and in a way, this wasn’t that surprising. It’s not that the show wasn’t good — I love it and I love Christian Kane. The problem was Amazon not promoting the show all that well. This one definitely slipped under the radar for many, and now it’s too late.
Prime Video then followed up with the cancellation of both Citadel: Diana and Citadel: Honey Bunny. Now these two cancellations weren’t all that surprising because we’d been partially warned. The Citadel franchise wasn’t the big success that Amazon hoped it would be, but it had already committed to a couple of shows. Diana was the best of the lot, so it’s a shame that one didn’t land a second season, but it’s the end of the road.
While Citadel is still going, we’re not expecting it to get a third season. The only reason season 2 is still happening is because the money has already been spent on it.
Based on a True Story fans were also delivered a blow, as we learned that the second season would be the end. This is despite the cliffhanger ending, and it being clear there is more to the story.
While technically not a cancellation, The Equalizer spinoff is not happening. CBS decided to pass on it after a lukewarm backdoor pilot. This whole franchise is coming to an end, as May kicked off with the cancellation of this series.
All the renewed crime dramas in April 2025
The month did bring some good news, though. ABC opted to renew the majority of its scripted lineup, which meant that three crime dramas were confirmed renewed. The Rookie, Will Trent, and 911 were all picked up for new seasons. Arguably, none of these were unexpected. The Rookie may have been the only one on the bubble, but it is consistent on Tuesday nights.
Paramount+ made Dexter fans happy with Original Sin renewed for a second season. The series is a fun telling of Dexter Morgan realizing that he’s a serial killer and learning how to use his psychopathic ways for good.
Like with the pilot canceled, CBS also opted to go ahead with two pilots in April 2025. The first wasn’t surprising once it found a lead. CIA is the spinoff of FBI, which will air on Mondays in the fall. The second was Einstein, starring Criminal Minds’s Matthew Gray Gubler. It won’t air in the new season, though. This one is being held for the 2026–2027 TV season.
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