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Goodbye Idiot Hookers: 'Scream Queens' Will Not Return for Season 3

With a huge slump in ratings from its promising start, the news that Scream Queens won't be back for more is no big shock, even to the dim-witted Chanels.

By Tom ChapmanPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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'Scream Queens' [Credit: Fox]

The great TV cull of 2017 claims another victim as #RyanMurhpy's #ScreamQueens takes a tumble down the stairs and snaps its neck courtesy of Fox. Since 2015 we battled the sassy and classy Chanels, a Red Devil Killer, and Jamie Lee Curtis in her best role since Laurie Strode. Season 2 introduced a new foe with the Green Meanie alongside nostalgia stars like Kirstie Alley and Jerry O'Connell, but it wasn't enough to ensure that we would battle a Blue boogeyman or Yellow Yeti in Season 3. With a huge slump in ratings from its promising start, the news that Scream Queens won't be back for more is no big shock, even to the dim-witted Chanels.

It's Queen And Gone

Fox chairman and CEO Gary Newman announced the news in a conference call, confirming that the network has slit the throat of the teen-orientated terror:

“It feels as if it was a complete series. We have no plans to go back and tell more stories there. We won’t be seeing 'Scream Queens' this season.”

While there could be a small glimmer of hope with the mention of "this season," you might as well give up now and join a different sorority, there is no way this one is clawing its way back out of development hell.

Originally pitched as a horror anthology series, Season 1 of the show focused on a college campus rocked by a series of murders. It was all the action of Scream 2, and featured the ludicrous deaths of the Urban Legends series, but with bucket loads of blood-soaked comedy and more memorable characters for good measure. Wrapping the story of Kappa Kappa Tau and leaving the Chanels confined to a mental asylum, it was expected that the show would completely reboot after Season 1 to follow in the footsteps of ratings powerhouse #AmericanHorrorStory.

However, keen to give the Chanels another coat of nail polish, we only got a soft reboot from Murphy ahead of Season 2. The majority of the cast returned — minus lead actress Skyler Samuels — and the Chanels took up residency as hospital interns. Even huge stars like John Stamos and Taylor Lautner couldn't save the yawn factor of rehashing more tired cliches and an OTT performance by Lea Michele, while Scream Queens needed a walker to reach its finale.

Two Is Too Many

Even then, the show managed to pull a semi-decent conclusion that didn't really leave much room for maneuvering a third season. Sure, there was the tease that #EmmaRoberts was being stalked by another Red Devil Killer, but, like, ew... we have totally done this before. Despite noise in January that the show would still be up for renewal, the writing remained written in blood on the wall.

Released from contracts, stars like Keke Palmer and Lea Michele moved on to other projects, while Billie Lourd signed herself onto the upcoming election-themed season of American Horror Story. Some still held a flickering candle for the show, but Fox has now stuck the final nail in the coffin.

It is a rare occurrence that one of Murphy's shows fails so badly, but with the acclaimed director ploughing his energy into the likes of Horror Story, #Feud, and #AmericanCrimeStory, it always felt that Scream Queens was the annoying little sister. As Murphy laid out his plans for the future of his other shows, chatter around Queens was barely a whisper. Although showing strong buzz on social media and bringing in a younger demographic for the channel, Season 2 premiered and ended with nearly half the viewers that tuned in for its first run.

I guess we will never know what happened to Chanel Oberlin, but I'm sure she used some witty comeback to cyber bully the Red Devil Killer into sparing her. It was a fun, blood-filled time while it lasted, but unless we are heading for a Hemphill and Munsch spin-off with Niecy Nash and Jamie Lee Curtis, count me out. If you read this, Ryan, credit for that one goes to me.

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About the Creator

Tom Chapman

Tom is a Manchester-based writer with square eyes and the love of a good pun. Raised on a diet of Jurassic Park, this ’90s boy has VHS flowing in his blood. No topic is too big for this freelancer by day, crime-fighting vigilante by night.

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