The Long Goodbye: Flashpoint to End After Season Five
This is a post that not only do I not want to write, but it never entered my consciousness that I would ever have to. "Unexpected" doesn't begin to describe it.
On the heels of 80 various awards nominations and riding high as a trailblazing television series both in Canada and the U.S., the producers of FLASHPOINT have decided to end the beloved series after the upcoming 13 episodes of Season Five.
What began as a summer replacement for U.S. viewers, in part due to a screenwriters' strike, very quickly evolved into what has often been hailed as "the best cop show on television" by many critics and viewers alike.
While still going strong on CTV in Canada, in the U.S. FLASHPOINT was dropped last summer by CBS, only to be picked up by ION Television as its first "original" series. Previously, ION was known for airing only reruns and infomercials.
The producers posted the announcement on their Facebook page early Tuesday morning.
"To the Flashpoint Family:
Today we announced to our cast and crew that this will be our final season of FLASHPOINT. While still at our creative apex, we've decided to conclude the series on a high note. This will allow us to give our fans the satisfaction of a fitting series conclusion with our 75th, and final, episode. Producing FLASHPOINT over the past five seasons has been an exceptional adventure, and we are extremely grateful to all of you for being with us every step of the way. We hope that by announcing this now, you'll be able to enjoy the fifth season to the utmost, and properly say goodbye to Team 1 along with all of us."
The producers posted on Facebook and twitter, explaining their decision, and thanking the fans for their support over the past four seasons. In a press release from Bell Media for CTV, producers Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Bustos said,
"Producing FLASHPOINT over the last five seasons has been an exceptional adventure. We've been incredibly lucky to work with committed and supportive broadcast partners who have enabled us to reach many millions of fans across North America. While the series is still at its creative apex, we've decided to end the series on a high note, and give those fans the satisfaction of a fitting series conclusion in our 75th episode."
The news brought with it an abundance of tears, anger, and pleadings from around the globe. In addition to airing in North America, FLASHPOINT is also licensed in more than 100 territories worldwide.
Fans took to social media and posted their reactions on twitter, on Facebook, through fan-fiction and their own blogs. They argued with each other over the importance of such news, some liking it to the death of a family member. Googling "Flashpoint to end" brought up page after page of different articles and information.
This is a hotly argued discussion that will not quickly go away, but the producers' minds are made up.
Rarely have television shows gone out in such a blaze of glory instead of filtering to a mediocre demise drawn by lost viewers and weaker storylines. Rather, FLASHPOINT producers opted instead to give viewers a final season just as worthy – and more so – of the adoration it still holds… and always will.
Well done, FPTO. Well done.
And Frankly, My Dear… that's all she wrote!
What's the Word? Wednesday: May 2, 2012
The Long Goodbye: What FLASHPOINT Means to Me | Frankly, My Dear... - [...] Long Goodbye: What FLASHPOINT Means to Me Posted on May 2, 2012 by MollyJo Last night I posted The…