When “The Knick” wrapped up with its absolutely spellbinding finale to season two, chatter immediately started about a possible third season, one that would reboot the cast and find a new setting for the period drama.
“We had a six year plan when we started ‘The Knick,’ and supposedly we’re going to pick up next fall [with] season three,” the show’s executive producer and director Steven Soderbergh said last summer. “We had it all mapped out. Every two years we kind of blow up the universe and start over again. I want to do it, so hopefully it’s going to get done.” Well, it’s not to be.
Cinemax has announced today that “The Knick” — in any shape or form — is now over.
“After a critically acclaimed two-season run of The Knick on Cinemax, we will not be going forward with additional episodes of the series,” Kary Antholis, President of HBO Miniseries and Cinemax Programming, said. “Despite our pride in and affection for the series, as well as our respect for and gratitude towards Steven Soderbergh and his team, we have decided to return Cinemax to its original primetime series fare of high-octane action dramas, many of which will be internationally co-produced.”
I don’t think anyone who watched “The Knick” would say the show wasn’t “high-octane,” and it was certainly faster-moving than the slow-as-molasses “Quarry” (for example). But the reasons why Cinemax decided not to press on will likely be left in the boardroom. It’s a bummer, but the two near-perfect seasons of “The Knick” we received are a pretty good consolation prize. [Deadline]