TV-MOVIES
The Real Reason Longmire Season 7 Was Canceled
By K. THOMAS
“Longmire” follows Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor), the dedicated sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County in Wyoming, and his staff, as they investigate the many various crimes throughout their jurisdiction. The series debuted on A&E in 2012, was canceled after just three seasons, and was eventually saved by Netflix, who canceled the show a second time after three additional seasons.
The show's second season averaged nearly six million viewers per episode on A&E, making it the network's most-watched original series in history; however, ratings had dropped at the time of its cancellation. The possible explanations were that the show's audience skewed older (advertisers prefer younger viewers) and that it was produced by an outside studio, meaning it wasn't as lucrative for the network.
Attempting to explain why Netflix canceled Longmire after six seasons becomes more complex, perhaps they thought “Longmire” had simply run its course, or another possibility could be the actors' contracts were up. We may never know why Netflix pulled the plug, but they gave Longmire three extra seasons and it's hard to be upset about that.