Cinemax has cancelled Quarry after one season. The cable network has opted not to renew the drama for Season 2.
Series creator Michael D. Fuller lamented the cancellation in a detailed blog post, blaming a regime change and rebranding for the show’s demise, and noting that a second season was unsuccessfully shopped to other outlets:
And so, after a protracted and agonizing process, we have final confirmation that Quarry will not be returning to television. There were several factors that contributed to the show’s ultimate fate, but a regime change at HBO and a re-(re?)-branding at Cinemax were of particular significance; we attempted to find another home for the show but were unable to do so. By virtually every metric (ratings, critical response) the show succeeded in all the ways a show needs to for a second season, but, as the erstwhile Head Ball Coach of my beloved Gamecocks was fond of saying, “it is what it is”. TV’s tough and life is tougher, and like the titular character of the show, the series itself was ultimately the victim of a system that is relentlessly unforgiving.
On what Season 2 would have looked like:
(Season 2 was going to be set in 1973 and see Mac fully immersed in The Broker’s network, the arrival of Mac and Arthur’s war buddy Hall Prewitt and the trouble coming w/ him, Buddy asserting his individuality, all w/ the specter of Watergate looming. We actually wrote the entire second season, 6 episodes, before receiving word that Cinemax was going in a different direction w/ their branding and content. Since we didn’t get a Season 2, let’s just speculate as to if Mac actually made it to the other side of the river.) It’s a sadness I will carry w/ me for the rest of my life, but there’s a tremendous measure of solace in the fact that I had the opportunity to work w/ some of the most immeasurably talented people in the world on something we all believed in and deeply, abidingly cared about. A Memphis-BBQ-platter sized thanks is due to our wonderful cast and crew who made our writing better than it had any business being, and to Max Allan Collins himself, who trusted us w/ a character he’s lived w/ for 40 years: thank you, sir. I hope we didn’t mess it up too badly.
RIP.
HA says
So the braintrust at Cinemax thinks Strike Back is a better show than Quarry? Really? They PREFER mediocre acting and ridiculous plot lines as opposed to engaging stories with well developed characters? Strike Back was a horrible, cheesy, show…. why they think that’s better than Quarry is a mystery to me. Some people, once they get any power, make changes just to make changes. Even if those changes are CLEARLY poor choices.
Heidi says
Shocked! I wish another network would have picked this up. The acting was amazing!
Mitzi Sanderson says
Every time there is a good show like Quarry or Banshee the networks have to cancel it’s getting real old I hate all your networks. You should start letting these show continue. Done with all these pay channels.