Fox cancelled The Mindy Project on Wednesday night, but that might not be all she wrote. According to Deadline, Hulu is in talks to pick-up the show for an additional two seasons.
As a fan who’s seen a number of TV shows be axed and then subsequently shopped around, I have to admit that this news does appear to be a bit more hopeful than usual. ‘Shopping around’ doesn’t sound much more efficient than cold calling, ‘in talks’ at least gives the perception of their being a real interest from both parties involved.
Usually, despite the protests of fans and the hopes of show creators and cast members, many more shows actually conclude when the broadcast networks deliver the bad news, although it’s not unheard of for a show to make the leap from the small screen to the computer screen. Back in 2013 Netflix saved The Killing, picking it up for a 6-episode fourth season and of course last summer Yahoo rescued Community.
Being streaming services though, viewing metrics aren’t made public so it’s anyone’s guess as to how well that worked out. For The Killing, the fourth season was it’s last and even though Community has a much more devoted and vocal fan base, they’ve been oddly quiet as of late, although that is not necessarily an indicator of viewership. Based on their NBC ratings, loud doesn’t always mean a lot. Currently, Community’s future is unknown but it seems like our time with Greendale may be winding down if this interview with Dan Harmon is any indication.
The Mindy Project might already have a leg up though. Since the talks are for two seasons, that would already give the show a longer lifespan than its two Internet-leaping predecessors. Plus, the business side of it might make more sense given that The Mindy Project is produced by Universal Television, obviously a part of the NBCUniversal Television Group family, which has ownership stake in Hulu. In addition, the subscription portion of the site, Hulu Plus, already has the first two seasons in its library.
Let’s all hold our horses though, even if The Mindy Project finds its happy endings, which is something that ironically eluded the series of the same name, it would still be an anomaly. For every show that finds a new home, many many many more are cancelled, for good. It doesn’t mean you can’t be cautiously optimistic, but it does mean TV fans shouldn’t start calling the Internet their new knight in shining armor. The business of show saving is just that, business. Money trumps save our show polls, incessant tweeting, mail campaigns, and fan petitions any day.
With that said, may the odds be ever in The Mindy Project‘s favor.
