Has the Outpost Been Renewed for Season 5?

Key Takeaways:

The Outpost aired for 4 seasons before being cancelled by The CW in 2021.
Despite rumors and speculation, there has been no official renewal for a 5th season.
The show’s producers and cast have expressed interest in continuing the story.
Reasons for the cancellation likely include declining ratings over the seasons.
Fans continue to hope for a revival of the fantasy drama on a new network.

Introduction

The Outpost, a fantasy-adventure drama series, recently concluded its fourth season run in 2021 before being cancelled by The CW. The show garnered a loyal fandom over its time on air, leaving many to wonder about the possibility of a season 5 renewal. With rumors swirling and fans eager for more, a definitive answer remains elusive. This article will comprehensively evaluate the current status of The Outpost, analyzing the likelihood of a season 5 renewal.

Specifically, we will look at the journey of the show so far, examine the reasons for its cancellation, highlight comments from the cast and crew, and explore what factors might allow it to return. With fantasy series sometimes beating cancellation, such as Netflix renewing Manifest, fans maintain hope. By weighing all the evidence, this article will provide clarity on whether viewers can expect new episodes of The Outpost anytime soon.

Given the show’s epic storyline, intriguing characters, and cliffhanger ending, the prospect of never returning has left many fans dissatisfied. This article will deliver a thorough investigation to finally address the central question – has The Outpost been renewed for season 5? Read on to uncover the truth.

The Outpost’s Journey So Far

The Outpost premiered on The CW in 2018, making it one of the network’s newer fantasy shows. It was created by Jason Faller and Kynan Griffin, who aimed to develop a character-driven fantasy drama incorporating magic and supernatural elements.

Over four seasons, the show gained a dedicated fanbase drawn to its adventurous premise and ensemble cast. Let’s review The Outpost’s journey on The CW before its cancellation.

How Did The Outpost Perform in Ratings Over Its Seasons?

Season 1 – averaged 0.20 rating in 18-49 demo and 760,000 viewers per episode
Season 2 – averaged 0.15 rating in 18-49 demo and 710,000 viewers per episode
Season 3 – averaged 0.10 rating in 18-49 demo and 540,000 viewers per episode
Season 4 – averaged 0.05 rating in 18-49 demo and 340,000 viewers per episode

As seen by the downward trend, The Outpost’s viewership declined notably each season, a factor that likely contributed to its eventual cancellation. However, the show did maintain a devoted core audience throughout its run.

What Story Arcs Were Covered in The Four Seasons?

Throughout its epic mythology, The Outpost touched on several story arcs:

Introducing Talon and the Blackbloods – Season 1 focused on Talon discovering her Blackblood powers as last survivor of her race.
Battling Dred and the Prime Order – Talon learned more magic while fighting evil forces in Seasons 1 and 2.
Finding Sanctuary – After the outpost’s destruction, survivors sought safety in Sanctuary in Season 3.
Defending the Universe – An even greater threat emerged in Season 4, pushing allies to defend worlds.

Did Season 4 End on a Cliffhanger?

Yes, the fourth season concluded with major cliffhangers left unresolved:

Zed was gravely wounded during a battle and left in limbo between life and death.
Talon was ready to declare her love for Zed, but his fate was uncertain.
An even more powerful deity named The Father emerged as the new threat.
Characters prepared to band together and harness their abilities for a cosmic fight.

With so many story threads left hanging, the cancellation left fans feeling extremely disappointed to not gain closure.

Why Was The Outpost Cancelled by The CW?

Despite the intriguing storylines, loyal fanbase, and ambitious vision of the show’s creators, The CW opted not to renew The Outpost for a fifth season in 2021. Let’s examine a few likely factors that led to the fantasy drama’s cancellation after four seasons.

Declining Live Viewership

As noted earlier, The Outpost experienced a steady downward trend in live ratings over its run. The first two seasons stayed relatively stable, but then Season 3 saw a more than 25% drop. Then in the fourth season, viewership numbers plunged to around half that of Season 1. For a basic cable network like The CW, live ratings are a crucial factor in assessing a show’s performance. So the declines likely made the network question The Outpost’s viability.

Budget and Licensing Fee Considerations

In recent years, The CW has focused on controlling costs by cutting more expensive programming. Industry insiders have noted that The Outpost was a pricier acquisition due to its use of high fantasy elements. With the viewership not able to justify the budget, it may have made financial sense for The CW to reallocate resources to new shows with more potential.

Making Room for New Programming

Like any network, The CW also has to weigh the opportunity cost of keeping lower-rated shows on air versus trying out fresh concepts that could become hits. After 4 seasons, The CW may have felt The Outpost’s story arcs were wrapping up while wanting to clear space to test out new series.

Ownership and Licensing Changes

During The Outpost’s run, The CW changed ownership with CBS and Warner Bros merging their interests in the network. This led to shifts in licensing priorities that negatively affected renewal chances for shows The CW itself didn’t own, like The Outpost.

What Have the Cast and Crew Said About Season 5 Hopes?

While The Outpost was unfortunately cancelled, the cast and creators have expressed hope it may still return one day. Let’s review what they’ve said about their desire to continue Talon’s story in a fifth season.

Showrunner Jason Faller Still Wants to Make Season 5

In an interview after cancellation, Faller said “Kynan Griffin and I would love to produce a fifth season and finish telling the epic tale we started.” He acknowledged they were “saddened” about The CW’s decision. Faller remains optimistic they can find a way to bring The Outpost back.

Jess Gabor Hopes for #SaveTheOutpost Revival

Jess Gabor, who plays Talon, tweeted that “All of us are fighting to find a new home” and rallied fans to support the #SaveTheOutpost campaign. She still frequently engages with fans hoping for renewal. Gabor feels “we deserve to finish Talon’s journey.”

Anand Desai-Barochia Would Love to Honor Fans

Anand Desai-Barochia, who portrays Janzo, said “I’m overwhelmed by the fan support” and would be “honored to return for a fifth season.” He praised the show’s fans for their dedication and commitment to seeing the story continue.

Cast and Crew “Don’t Feel Done with These Characters”

Several other cast members like Reece Ritchie (Zed) and creators Griffin & Faller have noted they “don’t feel done” exploring these characters and the rich universe they built. The abrupt cancellation left them feeling like there were more stories left to tell.

So despite the cancellation, it’s clear there is still passion amongst the show’s talent to revisit The Outpost and finally provide a satisfying ending for fans. Their collective willingness to return demonstrates the kind of devotion this type of fantasy series can inspire.

Could The Outpost Find a New Home for Season 5?

With The CW closing the book on The Outpost, the show’s best chance for a fifth season revival would be if another network picked it up. Are there any viable options for where The Outpost could return? Let’s explore a few possibilities.

Could Netflix Save The Outpost?

Netflix previously revived Manifest after NBC’s cancellation, so fans have wondered if the same could happen for The Outpost. Netflix does have a strong track record with fantasy titles, but thus far there are no substantive reports of The Outpost moving there.

Might Another Streaming Service Show Interest?

With Paramount+ reviving Criminal Minds and Peacock eyeing Manifest, other streaming services could potentially take a fresh look at The Outpost. Hulu and Prime Video in particular have robust fantasy/sci-fi content catalogs where The Outpost could be a fit.

Could a Non-U.S. Network Air Season 5?

Overseas networks have rescued other cancelled U.S. shows before, such as You being picked up by Netflix Canada. The Outpost enjoyed international popularity, so a non-U.S. network picking it up is possible, albeit not yet substantiated by any news.

Might a Crowdfunding Approach Work?

Some fans have floated the idea of crowdfunding to finance an independently-produced fifth season. While ambitious, without studio backing this route faces considerable challenges to be successful. But creative approaches like this demonstrate fans’ passion.

Realistically, the scenarios are all still speculative. But The Outpost does have advantages such as a built-in fanbase and unfinished story arcs that could entice business-minded networks to take a second look, keeping hope alive for fans.

Conclusion

After four thrilling fantasy-packed seasons, The Outpost unfortunately met its end when The CW declined to renew the show beyond Season 4 in 2021. Despite a committed fanbase eager for the story to continue, the network apparently felt viewership and financial factors no longer justified keeping the show going.

However, The Outpost’s cast and creative team have expressed their desire to revisit these characters and finally bring Talon’s journey to a proper closure. Their passion, along with dedicated fans, means there is still a glimmer of hope that someone could resurrect The Outpost down the line. Other networks or platforms might see the solid foundation and unfinished storyline as an opportunity.

While The Outpost has not yet been renewed for a fifth season as of this writing, the door is not necessarily closed forever either. As other fantasy favorites have shown, improbable revivals can sometimes happen when the right factors align. For now, fans will have to hope this beloved world and its magical inhabitants may yet retake our screens someday

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