In what might be considered a strange move on the part of TV network A&E, the crime drama Longmire has been cancelled at the end of its third season. It’s strangeness is rooted in the fact that this decision leaves the channel with very little in the way of scripted drama – something it had made a very conscious step toward, some time ago. Having now disposed of Glades and Those Who Kill, however, the ending of Longmire will leave A&E with only Bates Motel and the upcoming remake of The Returned.
Longmire had been a very popular part of A&E’s lineup, being based on Craig Johnson’s Walt Longmire Mysteries series of novels. The show saw Wyoming county sheriff Walt Longmire return to work following the death of his wife, and investigate major crimes while running for re-election. It starred Robert Taylor, Katee Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips, Charles S. Dutton, Peter Weller and Graham Greene.
Though the show made its home on A& E, it actually came from Warner Horizon Television, which is now ‘shopping it around’ to other networks. On announcing the cancellation, A&E said:
“We would like to thank the phenomenal cast, crew and producers of Longmire, along with our partners at Warner Horizon, for their tireless work on three seasons of quality dramatic storytelling. We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together.”
Fans of the show will no doubt take heart from the attempts of Warner Horizon Television to find a new home for Longmire – particularly since season three ended on something of a tense cliffhanger. A&E viewers left behind, however, find themselves steeped for the most part in unscripted shows, such as Duck Dynasty. Presumably, all eyes will now be on The Returned, to see if this entry into A&E’s dwindling scripted section will be a success.