Still Star-Crossed: Pulled from Schedule and Exiled to Saturdays
Carissa Pavlica
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The Montagues and Capulets are going to have a new bone to pick, this time with ABC.
Still Star-Crossed is in exile until July 8th, when it returns to the schedule on Saturdays to finish its freshman season.
The Shondaland series is effectively canceled, as no series with ratings as low who suffers banishment to weekends normally sees a second season renewal.
Still Star-Crossed is a sequel to William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
In this particular story, Rosaline Capulet is being forced to marry Benvolio Montague in an attempt to keep the two warring families from their bickering.
Benvolio is surely a hot number, and when paired with Rosaline, they are already a 'shipper's dream.
Unfortunately, the ratings are not indicative of the same feelings that are being shared on the internet.
While the series debuted to 2.3 million viewers and a 0.5 18-49 rating, after three airings the rating dropped to 0.3 in the demo and merely 1.6 million viewers.
Given that the series is getting a lead out from The Bachelorette, the very best time slot available on ABC, that's quite disappointing.
Mistresses was canceled after four seasons with an average of 2.6 million viewers and a 0.6 demo rating, so you can see where the problem lies.
It shouldn't be surprising that Still Star-Crossed is having problems, though, as the series was first announced back in May of 2016.
When it didn't appear on the Fall 2016 schedule, we thought it would appear on the Winter or Spring 2017 schedules.
Finally rolling out on the Summer 2017 schedule led us to believe it was being burned off as it might not have lived up to the potential the network saw in the series originally.
Saturdays have recently featured new programming on AMC with The Son and BBC America continues airing both Doctor Who and Orphan Black successfully on the day, so it's not as if Saturday is the end of the world.
However, to take one of the network's few scripted originals for the summer months and cast it off to the weekend does indicate their dissatisfaction and unwillingness to allow Still Star-Crossed any more time in a prime slot.
We have a feeling this is one you might take personally.
Are you upset ABC is giving up on Still Star-Crossed so early into the game?
Does it make you want to give up on the show or are you willing to ride it out to the bitter end even if it might mean you don't get a satisfactory conclusion?
Share all of your thoughts with us in the comments below.
And if you want to see what the fuss is about, watch Still Star-Crossed online to check it out.
Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.
