It looks like the CW has surprisingly pulled the plug on a fun cop series despite its great reviews!
Fans of CW shows have gotten used to the network unexpectedly pulling the plug on some. That’s increased thanks to the various behind-the-scenes issues with the network. Still, axing a show with little fanfare is something.
Over the weekend, fans of actor Luke Cook were surprised when he posted a TikTok video revealing that his cop dramedy Good Cop/Bad Cop was ending months after its first season aired. While the show hadn’t been renewed, showrunner John Quaintance seemed hopeful for a second year.
“Sad to let you know this but we will not be doing a season 2 of Good Cop/Bad Cop. I loved making that show, I loved making friends with everybody on that cast and crew, and John, who wrote the show. They’re all my great friends, so I’m sad we won’t get to do it again. But thank you to everyone who watched the show, like thank you.”
Premiering in early 2025, Good Cop/Bad Cop starred Leighton Meester as Lou, a detective in a quirky small town who’s partnered with her estranged brother Henry (Cook). The pair don’t get along well, both for various family issues and their very differing styles of police work. They do find common ground dealing with the chief of police, “Big” Hank Hickman (Clancy Brown), who's more interested in making the town look safe than actually making it safe. Oh, and he happens to be the pair’s father.
Cook added, “People who were like, ‘Oh, there’s Luke, I’m going to watch him in that show.’ It’s very kind, and I’m glad you loved it. Everyone wrote to me and said they loved it, and I’m so glad that you did. I’m sorry that it didn’t work out and we won’t be doing more of it. But it’s a tough business. Hollywood has the ability to make your dreams come true and also break your heart. Onwards and upwards. Thanks for the support.”
The show’s axing seems out of nowhere, especially given how it ended.
Obviously, the ratings are a key reason for the show being canceled. On the one hand, it had a great push from critics as Rotten Tomatoes cites it having a 91% critical rating and 93% popcorn meter with audiences.
However, per The TV Ratings Guide, the show’s actual ratings were dismal, even by CW standards. Its premiere had 0.42 viewers, with viewership dipping to around 0.35 with even lower in the 18-35 demo.
There had been hopes for a renewal, however, especially with the series dropping on Prime Video and Netflix. That would have been a boost for the show via binge-watching to get more eyes on it. The fact that the first season ended on a cliffhanger with hints of a bigger mystery arc in season 2 showed the creators were hoping for another year. The low budget for the show should also have been a factor in its return.
Sadly, it won’t be happening, so Good Cop/Bad Cop joins the list of fun CW shows that only lasted one season despite being a fun turn on the police procedural.
Good Cop/Bad Cop streaming on Netflix and Prime Video.