‘Shooter’ Canceled at USA Network

Shooter has run out of ammo.

USA Network has opted to cancel the Ryan Phillippe drama based on the 2007 feature film of the same name after three seasons. The series, which weathered multiple obstacles during its three-season run, ranked as the lowest-rated drama on the NBCUniversal-owned cable network among the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic with 471,000 viewers and a total of 1.5 million overall. 

Shooter, a co-production between NBCU’s Universal Cable Productions and Paramount Television (with the latter’s film studio having produced the big-screen take), saw its series premiere delayed multiple times in a bid to be sensitive following mass shootings in the country. By the time the show launched in October 2016, it had an unexpected benefit of feeling timely. The freshman season helped USA Network improve its Tuesday haul with an average of 2.6 million total viewers and 974,000 in the key demo (with seven days of DVR). In addition to Paramount TV, Shooter was co-financed by Netflix, which had SVOD rights to the drama.

Season two, which jumped 133 percent in the demo and 96 percent among total viewers, was cut short by two episodes after star Phillippe broke his leg. That led to a super-sized season three of 13 episodes (up from 10 and eight in seasons one and two, respectively), as the latest and now final season picked up immediately where its sophomore run left off. The upcoming Sept. 13 finale will serve as its series-ender.

The cancellation comes after USA Network opted to end Carlton Cuse and Ryan Condal’s Colony after three seasons. The cabler’s scripted roster now consists of Mr. Robot; Queen of the South; The Purge; Suits and its forthcoming spinoff; and the anthologies The Sinner and Unsolved, with the latter awaiting word on its future.

USA, meanwhile, has multiple high-profile pilots in the works including Bourne spinoff Treadstone, among others.

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