It looks like CBS has decided to stop paying Ransom. Ransom is a summer crime drama on CBS that ran for a total of three seasons. The show was inspired by the professional experiences and techniques of crisis negotiators Laurent Combalbert and Marwan Mery. The series was created by Frank Spotnitz (The Man in the High Castle) and David Vainola (Diamonds). Executive producers of the show are Jennifer Kawaja (Cardinal) and Julia Sereny (Cardinal). Ransom was a Canada-Hungary treaty co-production with Entertainment One (also known as eOne), Big Light Productions, Sienna Films, and Korda Studios producing.
Ransom aired on Saturday nights, which are infamous for poor ratings. As an international acquisition, airing new episodes of Ransom was a low cost solution for CBS since reruns are competing poorly against the abundance of streaming options. However, Ransom did not draw in as many viewers as CBS likely hoped. Ratings for the show were low with an average of 2.3 million viewers watching season three and 0.26 demo rating. The season three ratings are on par with the show’s second season, but lower than the first season. The first season, airing in the Spring of 2017, averaged 3.5 million viewers with a .43 demo rating. The cancellation was not a shock as Ransom was one of the lowest-rated shows on broadcast television during the 2018 season. Although, CBS may not have been the one to cancel the show. According to sources, the producers decided to end the series due to funding issues.
The news of the Ransom cancellation was confirmed by the show’s Twitter page.
Ransom starred Luke Roberts as Eric Beaumont (Wolf Hall), a professional hostage negotiator. Beaumont worked with a team on the show to help with his negotiations. The series followed as its characters tried to balance their personal lives with their demanding careers. Featured actors include Nazneen Contractor (Star Trek Into Darkness) as Zara Hallam, Brandon Jay McLaren (Graceland) as Oliver Yates, and Sarah Greene (Penny Dreadful) as Maxine Carlson.