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Monday, March 18, 2024
March 18, 2024

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TV Q&A: Updates on ‘Doc Martin,’ ‘Longmire’ and ‘Downton’

The Columbian
Published:

My friends and myself looked forward to “Longmire” every week. Why was it canceled? It seems that shows that are good for the older generation don’t make it. Is there a chance of it coming back on?

Judging from my mail, you are not alone in wishing to see more of the contemporary western. And it will be back for a fourth season, but in a different location. Online streaming service Netflix has ordered 10 episodes for presentation later this year. It promises that the new season will begin moments after the cliffhanger ending of the third season.

As for why A&E dropped it, the ratings among younger adults were not good, and TV wisdom is that advertisers like younger viewers. (Netflix, a subscription service, does not carry commercials, so demographics are not an issue.) In addition, the ratings had dipped from the second to the third season, and A&E’s programming strategy appeared to be going in a different direction. Also, in a time when networks like to own the shows they carry, A&E did not have a piece of “Longmire.”

Why is “Downton Abbey” ending when it is so popular? There aren’t even that many episodes every season. Is there anyway a fan can write to the show’s producers and beg them to still keep it going?

Begging won’t help. As executive producer Gareth Neame said in a statement, “Inevitably, there comes a time when all shows should end, and ‘Downton’ is no exception. We wanted to close the doors when it felt right and natural for the storylines to come together and when the show was still being enjoyed so much by its fans.”

In addition, it’s been clear that the cast members have been trying to use their “Downton” fame as a springboard to other roles, and ending the show gives them more of a chance. According to Deadline.com, Julian Fellowes, who wrote the series, also has a deal for an NBC series that has been waiting until he was done with “Downton.” (Although the seasons are shorter than U.S. shows’, they still reduce actors’ availability). Yet, for all that, Neame has reportedly hinted that a movie could follow the end of the series.

Can you please tell me if “Doc Martin” will return?

This is among the most-asked questions I get from readers. The British series, which airs on public television stations in the U.S., has a lot of admirers. And the show will be back. Production began in March on a seventh series. But don’t expect it on your telly any time soon. Some reports indicated that it would air overseas late in 2015, then in the U.S. early in 2016 — but it’s possible both those times will be pushed back.

I would like to know the name of a western starring Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Lee J. Cobb, J.D. Cannon, Joseph Wiseman, Sheree North and John Beck.

That would be “Lawman,” from 1971. It has been released on DVD.

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