Starz Canceling Heels is Probably Its Biggest Mistake
The big show has been canceled out of the blue.
When Stephen Amell finally left Arrow after nearly a decade of portraying the hooded superhero Archer, fans expected the popular actor to undertake a more serious project backed by a robust writing team and an intriguing storyline.
Their expectations were not misplaced, as Amell promptly joined Heels, the Starz series about a family of quarreling wrestlers penned by none other than Loki creator Michael Waldron. However, despite the show's first two seasons proving a big hit with audiences, it seems to have fallen short of Starz producers' expectations for it.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Starz had chosen to discontinue Heels, canceling it immediately after the conclusion of its second season. While fans were relatively unbothered by the network's cancellation of other shows like Blindspotting, Run the World, and The Venery of Samantha Bird, the termination of Heels sparked considerable anger.
Huge Mistake
Although Heels did indeed underperform in terms of ratings, the blame lies squarely with Starz, not Amell or Waldron. The problem is that Starz lacks any other successful shows in its lineup, meaning people are simply not interested in subscribing to the platform, thereby depriving Heels of a large portion of its potential audience.
Additionally, it seems that the producers at Starz truly failed to advertise the show, as only a handful of people were aware it even existed. That is particularly surprising given the immense popularity of WWE in the U.S. Given the widespread interest in wrestling, it would have been natural to see Heels evolve into a massive franchise. However, the producers chose to skimp on marketing expenses, ultimately resulting in the show's early cancellation.
Fans are further disheartened that Waldron was unable to give his character a proper ending, as the show concluded on a massive cliffhanger because the creator apparently was unaware of Starz's plans to cancel his show much earlier than expected.
Let's hope Waldron and Amell can find a new platform for Heels on Max or Netflix!