Network executives usually make the decision to renew or cancel a show, but creator Kurt Sutter took matters into his own hands by ending his latest series, "The Bastard Executioner," after just one season. His reasoning - no one was watching.
"The audience has spoken and unfortunately the word is, 'meh,'" Sutter wrote in an ad published in the Nov. 27 issue of "The Hollywood Reporter." "So with due respect, we bring our mythology to an epic and fiery close."
A pet project for Sutter, "The Bastard Executioner" told the story of a 14th century warrior in Northern Wales who witnesses an apparition that tells him to lay down his sword. Years later, rebellion eventually pulls him back into the fight and he assumes the identity of a journeyman executioner.
Coming off the success of his last FX series, "Sons of Anarchy," Sutter attributed his new show's low numbers to a mythology "a little too dense" for some of his audience to understand and a "glut of period pieces" on television at the moment. Although he appreciates any critical praise his work may receive, he wants to write for an engaged audience.
"I don't write in a vacuum. I'm not the guy sitting in my ivory tower spitting shit out not caring if anyone is watching. I like an audience. I don't want to write something that nobody's f-ing watching," Sutter told The Hollywood Reporter. "And yes, some of that is ego. But some of it is just, [if no one's watching] then I'm not necessarily doing my job."
The cast of "The Bastard Executioner" learned of the cancellation via an email from Sutter before he posted the ad publicly. Many of the actors came from Britain where the show was filmed (in Wales, specifically) and Sutter took out the ad to show his cast and crew "how proud I was of them."
For his next project, Sutter is searching for a writer to carry on his "Sons of Anarchy" spinoff about the Mayans motorcycle club. He also plans to revive an early movie script he wrote called "Delivering Gen," a love story between a junkie and a hit man, and is kicking around a couple other ideas for new TV shows.
