‘Longmire’ Lives, Fans Rejoice As Netflix Signs Season Four Return
*by Nellie Andreeva**
**Deadline.com**
**
**November 19, 2014 3:30pm*
http://deadline.com/2014/11/netflix-picks-up-longmire-1201289364/
Longmire
Longmire fans’ dedication to saving the show has paid off. I’ve learned
that Netflix, following several weeks of negotiations, has closed a deal
for a 10-episode fourth season of the drama series to premiere in 2015
in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The news comes less than
three months after LongmirNetflix Logoe‘s surprise cancellation by A&E
after three seasons. It triggered one of the biggest outpourings of fan
support ever for an axed TV series. The cast members, led by Robert
Taylor and Katee Sackhoff, have all made their deals for Season 4. That
doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone will return — Season 3 ended in a
cliffhanger, with characters’ lives in the balance, and I hear an exit
is likely. More about the plot of Season 4 in a moment./
/
Following the cancellation by A&E, /Longmire/ producer Warner Horizon
launched efforts to find a new home for the series
<http://deadline.com/2014/09/longmire-shopped-digital-cable-networks-warner-bros-829755/>.
It put together a detailed pitch highlighting the show’s performance and
fan following, as well as a road map for Season 4. The company cast a
wide net, though Netflix and Amazon were identified as primary targets
from the get-go, with Netflix considered the most logical destination
for the series; the service already has the rights to the previous
seasons as part of its multi-series streaming deal with Warner Bros.
Image (1) longmire__130827224348.jpeg for post 572696Based on the
mystery novels by best-selling author Craig Johnson,/Longmire/, is a
contemporary crime thriller set in Big Sky country that stars Taylor as
Walt Longmire, the charismatic, dedicated and unflappable sheriff of
Absaroka County, Wyoming, along with Sackhoff, Lou Diamond Phillips,
Bailey Chase, Cassidy Freeman and Adam Bartley. Hunt Baldwin, John
Coveny, Greer Shephard and Michael M. Robin serve as executive
producers. The series, from the Shephard/Robin Co. in association with
Warner Horizon, eyes a tentative March production start date.
“When Warner Horizon Television came to us with the idea for a new
season of /Longmire,/ we were intrigued because the series is so unique,
and consistently great,” said Cindy Holland, Netflix VP of Original
Content. “We are thrilled to help continue Walt Longmire’s story for his
large and passionate following.”
Netflix similarly rescued another cancelled cable drama, /The Killing/.
It commissioned a final season of the mystery series on top of the
existing seasons it had rights to.
LongmireSeason four of /Longmire/ picks up moments after season three’s
explosive finale. Walt Longmire (Taylor), having found out who was
behind the murder of his wife, succumbs to his darker impulses and takes
off in pursuit of the killer with revenge on his mind. Meanwhile, Branch
Connally (Bailey Chase), the deputy who Walt fired for erratic, violent
behavior, believes /he /has already figured out who the real culprit is.
During his confrontation with this suspected killer, a gun goes off.
Fans will find out what happened, and whether Walt can be stopped before
he makes a fatal choice.
/Longmire/ was A&E’s most-watched original scripted series, averaging
5.6 million viewers in Season 3, a slight dip from Season 2’s nearly 6
million average with a much weaker lead-in. Despite its large audience,
A&E insiders argued that the show was not profitable
because advertisers, who pay a premium to reach younger
audiences, undervalue older-skewing shows like /Longmire/. That’s not an
issue for subscription-based services like Netflix.
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Associate Professor Fax (713) 743-3927
Political Science Mail: antunes at uh dot edu
University of Houston
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