13 Shows That Were Originally Supposed to Be Limited Series
In the television industry, limited series have a funny way of not being so limited. (Hey, semantics, right?) In fact, networks and streamers renew limited series so often, we wonder whether TV executives just use the “limited” label so they can save face if the shows aren’t successful and compete in the historically less-competitive limited Emmy categories if they are. Here are 10 examples of limited series that got the go-ahead to go past their pre-ordained endpoints.
Bad Sisters
Sharon Horgan, a star and executive producer of this dark comedy about Irish siblings handling (and mishandling) a death in the family, told British GQ the production was set out as a limited series. But Bad Sisters was good business for Apple TV, and the show got a Season 2.
Beef
Netflix dubbed this production a limited series, but after Beef won big at the 75th Primetime Emmys, we doubt any viewer had beef with the streamer for ordering another round. Season 2 will feature Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, among others.
Big Little Lies
Perhaps the ultimate big little lie was that a show with Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, and Zoë Kravitz would ever just be a one-and-done at HBO. Season 2 came in short order, and now, a Season 3 is in the works…
The Flight Attendant
Kaley Cuoco booked a return ticket to television with this limited series based on the Chris Bohjalian book of the same name. And once the first season earned acclaim and award nods, HBO Max decided Season 1 wasn’t the show’s final destination.
Fargo
FX originally ordered this TV adaptation of the film of the same name as a 10-episode limited series. But the Minnesota-nice crime drama was so popular with viewers and critics that it has become an anthology with five seasons released so far.
Good Omens
Terry Pratchett’s own website notes that this Prime Video fantasy comedy — an adaptation of a novel he co-wrote — was supposed to be a limited series. Thanks to Michael Sheen and David Tennant’s angelic-slash-demonic charms, though, it came back for a second season, and a 90-minute finale special is on the horizon.
Presumed Innocent
Apple TV was yet again found guilty of the un-limiting trend, as Presumed Innocent was limited until the streamer decided it wanted to retry the legal thriller — based on a Scott Turow novel — in a second season that will boast Rachel Brosnahan, Jack Reynor, and Matthew Rhys.
Shōgun
This period drama remake switched from the limited series to drama series categories at the Primetime Emmy Awards after FX decided it wanted more. And then Shōgun won a record 18 categories at the 76th Emmys, so the categorization change hardly limited its chances.
The Sinner
Somewhat confusingly, USA Network announced that this series would “return for a second limited season” when it renewed the production. Maybe USA execs were trying to keep The Sinner in the Emmys’ limited categories? In any case, viewers ultimately got four seasons.
Untamed
The Watcher
After enough watchers watched The Watcher, Netflix ordered another installment of the Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan-created series, based on a real-life stalking case reported in The Cut. But that renewal came more than three years ago, and there’s been little word since…
The White Lotus
A good vacation is one you want to extend, and HBO decided it couldn’t check out of The White Lotus after Season 1. And so the comedy-drama became an anthology, with each season set at a different location of the fictional hotel chain.
Your Honor
Your Honor went from limited series to ongoing series to limited series again, in a sense. Before Season 2 premiered, Bryan Cranston, who played a judge whose son commits a hit-and-run, announced that the Showtime show would end with that second installment.
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