‘Hart Of Dixie’ Canceled: Cult-Favorite Show Done In By Low Ratings, Finale Will Premiere March 27
Hart Of Dixie has been officially canceled, with the cult-favorite television show going off the air due to low ratings.
The CW comedy-drama ran for four seasons, but has seen a steady drop in ratings. The 2011 premiere reached 1.88 million viewers, but each subsequent premiere was smaller — 1.53 million in 2012 and 1.03 million in 2013. It had a small uptick in 2014, with the premiere reaching 1.22 million, but ratings have continued to slide.
The show featured Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart, who left heartbreak to take a job as a general practitioner in the fictional Gulf Coast town of Bluebell, Alabama.
Though the cancellation wasn’t officially announced until one of its stars confirmed it, fans had an idea after creator Leila Gerstein tweeted about the “final three episodes” of the show starting with Friday’s episode.
The final three episodes of #HartofDixie begin tonight. Buckle up, I think you will enjoy the ride. Xo
— leila gerstein (@leilargerstein) March 6, 2015
In a previous interview, Gernstein seemed to indicate that Hart Of Dixie would be canceled, saying there was “a lot of closure” in this year’s season finale.
“Everyone is going to be satisfied that by the end of the 10 episodes, all the central love triangles have been resolved, all the central questions have been answered and we’re going to have a lot of fun along the way,” Gernstein said, adding another hint that the show was going off the air, “We have been saving a lot of stuff for each of the stories and we decided to burn through it all this year.”
Star Scott Porter wrote a note to fans, confirming that Hart Of Dixie was canceled due to low ratings.
He wrote, “Folks wondering why #HartOfDixie got canned? Simple numbers game folks. Ratings still matter and dictate wins and losses. You have to WATCH.”
Fans online have held out hope that maybe another network could save the show, something Porter knows well. He was the star of the football drama Friday Night Lights, which was initially canceled after two seasons due to low ratings. But NBC reached a deal with DirecTV to co-produce three more seasons that would premiere on DirecTV’s 101 Network and NBC re-broadcasting a few months later.
Now that Hart Of Dixie appears to be officially canceled, star Rachel Bilson will have more time to spend with her family. The actress gave birth to daughter Briar Rose on October 29. The show’s writers had worked the pregnancy into the show’s plot, making her character pregnant with her on-screen boyfriend, Wade Kinsella (Wilson Bethel).
With Hart Of Dixie canceled, the series finale will now air on March 27 on The CW.
[Image via The CW]
