An abbreviated fifth season of Warehouse 13 will be the show’s last.
Warehouse 13 has been a signature show for Syfy, not only setting viewership records but also being the first show launched with the cable network’s 2009 rebranding effort. The good news is that it has technically been renewed: the final run of episodes will constitute a fifth season for the show.
The bad news is that it’s only six episodes, giving the writers a chance to wrap up the story and give the characters a proper send-off before the cancellation axe falls. That’s more than most cancelled series get.
The show is currently airing the back half of its extended, 20-episode fourth season, which started last summer.
Season Five will air in 2014, Deadline reports.
A few years ago Warehouse 13 looked to be that show poised to break Syfy Channel’s 5-season curse. The cable network has never funded an original scripted drama longer than that. Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis were both axed after five years on Syfy (SG-1 aired its first five years on Showtime), despite their dedicated fan base and creative strength. Eureka, too, only made it five years.
Two of Syfy’s once popular signature shows, Battlestar Galactica and Farscape, only made it to the 4-year mark.
Ratings are down around where one would expect Syfy to pull the plug. After opening to 3.5 million viewers in 2009, Warehouse averaged around 2.5 million in Season Two, and 2 million in Season Three. Last summer the fourth season dipped well below the 2 million mark, and new episodes opened to just 1.5 million last month.
The following two episodes have been the series’ lowest-rated outings. Of course that doesn’t take into account DVR-delayed and online viewing, where genre shows in particular perform quite well.
New episodes of Warehouse 13 are currently airing Mondays at 10/9c on Syfy.
Is it a travesty, or is it time for Warehouse 13 to end? Sound off below!
C’mon Syfy… This is like one of your best shows… Don’t take Wharehouse 13 from us… What would we do without Arty and The Gang??? What are you guys going to do with all those artifacts??? We love this show…
With Love,
From NYC,
D. Ess and Family
Rather than canceling a good show because of a dip in the numbers they should work on how to spice things up just a bit. The reboot of Warehouse 13 into # 14 is a great chance to do just that, The talent that is the backbone of the show may be wanting to move to new projects but the momentum that has been established would allow for fresh ideas to blossom and take root. I just think that the bean counters in corporate are making short sighted decisions taking the easy way out because they want the overall control but lack the ability to actually create product people want to watch. If with the tweaking the series ratings does not pick up then fade into black. They are just hurrying a good concept into the grave with out really seeing its potential.