If you loved Amazon's Mad Dogs, then I've got some bad news for you … maybe: those 10 episodes are all you're going to get. The show, which premiered last month, has been cancelled. But that's probably for the best.
Executive producer Shawn Ryan made the announcement on Twitter yesterday, and followed it up with an explanation as to why. His take on it is that, though the show was one of Amazon's best-reviewed dramas and “some Amazon employees” told him it had “better streaming stats” than “many other” Amazon shows, he and creator Cris Cole couldn't come to an agreement with Amazon about the direction of the second season.
And that's okay with Ryan and Cole, Ryan says, because they didn't want a second season anyway (and some critics *ahem* Hitfix's own Alan Sepinwall *ahem* didn't see how it could work as a multiple-season show in the first place). So perhaps it's best to just leave these 10 episodes as they are, unsullied by a desperate attempt to keep the show going.
Here's Ryan's Tweetstorm in full:
1) Wanted to report that a decision was made not to make any more episodes of Mad Dogs.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
2) We were lucky to be one the best reviewed dramas on Amazon, if not the best. A lot of critics got what we were going for, so thanks.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
3) Some Amazon employees told me that Mad Dogs, after only four weeks, already had better streaming stats than many other Amazon shows.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
4) So, thanks to the viewers for finding, embracing and binging the show. It”s been a blast to read your joy and shock on Twitter.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
5) That said, Mad Dogs was originally intended to be a closed 10 episode limited series.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
6) Many critics pointed out that this wasn”t the kind of concept destined for an extended multi-season run, and that”s right.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
7) But in order to get Season 1 made Amazon wanted to know that future seasons might be possible.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
8) Cris Cole and I said we thought there could be but we should have that conversation on if and how after the season was over.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
9) We had that conversation on Thursday with Roy Price and company. Cris and I laid out a story for Season 2 we believed in.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
10) Ultimately, Amazon didn”t want to make that story and we didn”t want to make the kind of story they wanted us to make, so…
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
11) It made more sense to declare victory after ten episodes, which was our original plan all along anyway.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
12) Mad Dogs is extremely important to Cris and I and we can”t do the show any other way than to follow Cris” vision.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
13) Ultimately, I think it”s better to leave it there, pure and unsullied, than to do a watered down version of the show.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
14) I”m so proud of our 10 eps and how they turned out, despite the many obstacles in our way.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
15) Want to acknowledge Ben Chaplin, Michael Imperioli, Romany Malco and Steve Zahn. What talent and chemistry!
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
16) Want to thank all our writers, directors and especially our ridiculously hard working Puerto Rican crew.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
17) Especially want to thank Cris Cole who was a terrific collaborator. He stuck to his vision, morals and beliefs throughout.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
18) If you haven”t checked out Mad Dogs yet, I hope you will. It”s the full, complete crazy story we set out to tell over three years ago.
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016
19) Oops. A cat just walked in. Looks like I have to go. See you on the next one. #MadDogs
– Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyanTV) February 28, 2016