"Longmire" brought in more eyeballs than any other drama series on A&E, but not even good ratings could save it from cancellation. Warner Horizon, the studio behind the show, has not given up hope and may have found a savior for the show.
Netflix and the studio are "deep in negotiations" to resurrect "Longmire" for a fourth season, according to Deadline. A final agreement may not come to fruition, but both sides want to close a deal and send the show back into production by March.
Warner Horizon immediately put together a pitch to shop the show around to other networks or online platforms like Netflix or Amazon. Netflix seemed the most logical choice given the online streaming service already had the rights to stream the previous season, according to Deadline.
A deal with Netflix would mimic the revival of the AMC-cancelled series "The Killing." The streaming platform picked up the cable drama for its third and final season and was already streaming the first two seasons.
"Longmire" ended its third season with a cliffhanger as fans only heard the sound of shotgun blast before the credits rolled.
"Longmire" averaged 5.6 million viewers for season three, a slight dip from the nearly six million viewers it averaged in season two. The show, starring Robert Taylor and Katee Sackhoff, did skew older but had the largest viewership behind only A&E's flagship series "Duck Dynasty."
"We would like to thank the phenomenal cast, crew and producers of 'Longmire,' along with our partners at Warner Horizon, for their tireless work on three seasons of quality dramatic storytelling," A&E said in a statement at that time of its August cancellation. "We are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together."
The cancellation didn't come as a surprise to star Sackhoff. She knows the importance of finding viewers in the coveted 18 to 25-year-old range that advertisers prefer because her husband is a producer.
"As an actor living with someone like that you're a fly on the wall and get to learn things. Key demographics in this business are a hold, and that key demo is 18 to 25. Shows are won and lost and bought and sold and movies succeed or fail based on that key demo," she told En Stars in October.
A&E cancelled its drama series "The Glades," which also ended on a cliffhanger, in August after four seasons. "Bates Motel" remains its only scripted series.
