After one season, Lifetime has made the decision to cancel American Princess, the network’s only current scripted series. Jamie Denbo (Orange Is the New Black) created the Renaissance Faire drama, and Jenji Kohan and Tara Herrmann (OITNB, GLOW) worked together as executive producers. The ten-episode show was a co-production between IM Global Television and A+E Studios.
Australian actress Georgia Flood starred in American Princess, playing a socialite, Amanda Klein, who runs away to a Renaissance fair after discovering that her fiance was unfaithful just hours before their wedding. Flood was joined by costars Lucas Neff (David Poland), Seana Kofoed (Maggie), and Rory O’Malley (Brian Dooley).
The show, despite its cancellation, faired okay amongst critics and audiences. Keri Lumm from Paste Magazine wrote, “There is nothing deep about this show. It is ridiculous. I think that is what makes it great.” Robyn Bahr from The Hollywood Reporter likewise praised the series in writing, “American Princess may very well be the next great summer comedy, which is no surprise given characters called ‘Pickle Wench’ and ‘Meth Pushcart Monkey.'” That being said, American Princess’ finale, which aired on July 7, only drew 24,000 same-day viewers. Its departure from Lifetime means that the network has no more scripted series on its roster.
Lifetime is a joint venture between Disney and Heart Communications. The network recently said goodbye to Greg Berlanti’s You, sending the drama to Netflix when it fared poorly on the cabler. It also canceled UnReal after its third season, forcing Hulu to step in to host its fourth and final season.
Lifetime has recently shifted its focus away from scripted series like American Princess and toward scripted TV movies and docuseries. Its documentaries range in subject matter from the NXIVM cult to the college admissions scandal. It also has a follow-up docuseries in development, which will act as a sequel to Surviving R. Kelly. This follow-up will be joined by Surviving Jeffrey Epstein.