Unfortunately, Camelot won’t be back, but not because of its ratings.
Many analysts were certain Camelot would be returning for another season. The critical response to the program may have been mixed, but the ratings were breaking records for the network, with the series finally bringing in 1.5 million viewers, which is quite significant for a premium station.
Like other similar stations, however, Starz is not guided by ratings, and instead must take other factors into account, like the number of new subscribers the series gains them.
This is because, unlike the broadcast networks, which are dependent on high ratings to set the cost of their advert spaces high, Starz is funded only by subscriptions.
As noted above, Starz today announced that they have officially turned down the opportunity to purchase another season of the show, saying that “Due to significant production challenges, Starz has decided not to exercise the option for subsequent seasons of Camelot with our production partners GK-tv, Octagon Films and Take 5 Productions.” There are also rumors that the cast has/had some scheduling conflicts.
This is all a shame because Camelot was just coming into its own. The writing for the entire season was excellent, and while not all of the actors were top notch, the episodes played together cohesively thanks to the adroit writing.
My immersion was such that I was even surprised by some of the twists, despite understanding well all versions of the source material, and even talking about some of these very possibilities before the show aired. It’s disappointing that I will now not have the opportunity to see where the writers were taking this version of the tale.
Claire Forlani and Joseph Fines were the real showstealers of the cast, moving their roles far beyond anything anyone could have expected of them.
Almost ironically, Camelot’s older, but less mature cousin, BBC’s Merlin, a show with a lower budget and fewer well-known actors, has just entered the filming stage for its fourth season.
It’s still possible that GK-TV will find another buyer for the second season of their Arthurian legend, but it’s unlikely any other station would have the budget to hit the high production expectations set by the first season.
