Major Crimes is believed to have been cancelled prior to the sixth and final season due to the series’ steady decline in viewership numbers.
One of TNT’s most popular series of the 2010s was The Closer’s spin-off series, Major Crimes, which premiered in 2012.
Unfortunately, after its fifth season, the show was cancelled, possibly due to the drop in its viewership ratings.
Who created Major Crimes?
Major Crimes was created by the acclaimed producer and showrunner, James Duff. For Duff, the creation of Major Crimes was a continuation of the journey he started with the original series, The Closer.
The series was premised, “Deputy Police Chief Brenda Johnson runs the Priority Homicide Division of the LAPD with an unorthodox style. Her innate ability to read people and obtain confessions helps her and her team solve the city’s toughest, most sensitive cases.”
Why was Major Crimes cancelled?
Most often, when a series is cancelled, especially one that was popular on its network like Major Crimes was initially for TNT, it is likely due to the show’s ratings from one season to the next.
Series and shows with a drastic drop in viewership between seasons will more likely get cancelled than a show that has moderate but consistent ratings.
As such, in light the performance of Major Crimes between season five and its last season, it can be assumed that the decline in viewership was the reason for the series surprising cancellation.
According to TV Series Finale, “The sixth season of Major Crimes averaged a 0.25 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 2.15 million viewers. Compared to season five, that’s down by 33% and down by 33%, respectively.”
It is allegedly for this reason that the series was cancelled. Moreover, there has been no formal word from the network or the producers of the show about the series cancellation.
James Duff insinuating Major Crimes’ cancellation was a surprise
“I do want you to know that it was not at all my idea, nor did I want to leave the show. The actors, the writers, the producers and our talented crew would have held on as long as we were relevant,” said Duff in a Facebook post.
Major Crimes’ Mary McDonnell counters surprise cancellation suggestions
“Trying to make sense of TNT’s choices is an activity that James Duff and (executive producer) Mike Robin and all of us have been engaged in for a long time, this was not a surprise. The writing was clearly on the wall…” said Mary McDonnell in an interview with TVLine.
Hope for Major Crimes’ revival
At the time that Major Crimes was cancelled, many had hope that the series would be picked up by platforms like Netflix. But four years after its cancellation, this seems unlikely.