Question: I just found out that they are canceling The Good Witch on Hallmark Channel. Why? It is a good show and I have watched it from the beginning. I read that it went down in who’s watching it, but I can’t understand why that would mean canceling. We have so many rotten TV shows and they stay on season after season, but this is a good one and so they end it! —Kim L.
Matt Roush: I’m hearing quite a bit about this now that the deed is done. The real surprise here is not that Hallmark canceled a show after seven seasons — and if you count the TV movies dating back even longer, something like a 13-year run. What’s most aggravating about this decision is that it seemed to have been made so late in the game, without giving the show or the Good Witch fans a chance to take advantage of a victory lap or final-season publicity. Declining ratings were likely a contributing factor in what appears to be a business and economic decision, but still, to announce the show was toast with only a few episodes remaining felt like a low blow. In happier news, stars including Catherine Bell and James Denton remain attached to the channel, and there’s reason enough to hope that The Good Witch might eventually revert to its TV-movie format, though it may be a while before anything happens on that front.
To submit questions to TV Critic Matt Roush, go to: tvinsider.com
