The USA Network Cancels Two High-Profile Series

The USA Network drama series The Purge which was on for two seasons and Treadstone, one for one, has been canceled. Both high-profile series were based on popular Universal movie franchises, The Purge, and Bourne, respectively. 

Both series fell victim to low viewership. After one season, The Purge was down 50%. 

USA, which also canceled to original drama series Dare Me, is shifting to more live and unscripted programming and will decrease its ongoing script series.

This is a programming strategy followed by a number of basic cable networks, including Turner, A+E and ViacomCBS nets, as it is becoming increasingly challenging for premium scripted series to be sustained by the linear ad-supported cable business model.

USA, whose flagship series are WWE Raw and Chrisley Knows Best, has been beefing up its unscripted slate, recently adding reboots of Temptation Island and The Biggest Loser. The two upcoming scripted programs on the network’s roster are both event-style, the second installment of anthology Dirty John, starring Christian Slater and Amanda Peet, and limited series Evel headline by Milo Ventimiglia.

Written by Tim Kring, Treadstone explored the origin story and present-day actions of a CIA black ops program known as Operation Treadstone — a covert program that uses behavior-modification protocol to turn recruits into nearly superhuman assassins. The first season follows sleeper agents across the globe as they’re mysteriously “awakened” to resume their deadly missions.

Kring executive produced with Ramin Bahrani, who directed the pilot. Ben Smith, Jeffrey Weiner, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, and Justin Levy also executive produced.

Information obtained from Deadline.