LA’s Finest not to return for another season

If you have ploughed your way through the initial two seasons of LA’s Finest then this might not be good news for you. The spin-off series of Sony Bad Boys universe probably won’t return with a third season just when the second season of the show was released this month. Many reasons might have culminated into this decision. The first season premiered on September 21, 2020, and soon in October 2020 an announcement from Spectrum confirmed that only one more season of the show would come and it won’t see another season.

The series has been released in Netflix USA and Canada and would be getting released in the UK and numerous others from July 2021. Netflix US received season 1 in January 2021 while the second season was added six months later in June 2021. 

Synopsis

In the Bad Boys spinoff, Union reprises her role as Syd Barrett, who works as an LAPD detective alongside partner Nancy McKenna, played by Alba. The supporting cast includes Zach Gilford (Friday Night Lights) and Duane Martin (Real Husbands of Hollywood) as fellow detectives Ben Walker and Ben Baines, aka “The Bens,” Ryan McPartlin (Chuck) as Nancy’s husband Patrick and Ernie Hudson (Grace and Frankie) as Syd’s ex-cop father Joseph.

The note on which season 2

The decision is especially difficult on the fans who were looking forward to another. Season 2 had left many stones unturned and many questions unanswered that kept the fans hooked and anticipated for the third season. The rather ambiguous note on which season 2 ended definitely warranted answers but it looks like they might remain as mysteries.

In the season 2 finale, Syd and Nancy’s car explodes. Although they are safe and sound, it is revealed that some people were watching the car blow up as if they were waiting for it to happen. If the show had been greenlit for another round, we would see the detective duo finding out who possibly wanted them dead. But given the circumstances, it is doubtful we will ever know the answer.

Reception of the series

Its release resonated with viewers as it became a top 10 streaming show in the United States and Canada. L.A.’s Finest spent 26 days in the top 10 list on Netflix and it could be set for another positive run now season 2 is available to stream.

The critics panned the first season of the show, giving it a measly 24 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. Audience ratings are a little more forgiving, with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 62 per cent overall and an IMDB rating of 5.9. The series also had the misfortune of being ranked ninth on TVLine’s list of The 10 Worst Shows of 2019.

Possible reasons for cancellation

The real reason for cancellation as speculated by the fans and expert can be linked to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Cops received severe backlash when the movement occurred, and the fans started boycotting such shows.  Another incident that could back this reason would be the release dates of the show. The season two premiere of L.A.’s Finest was pushed back so it wouldn’t air in the midst of the George Floyd protests. And since the show featured cops as the protagonists, it would have been cruel to do so.

This may be part of the reason the show was cancelled. After all, the long-running reality show Cops was cancelled in June 2020 as well, in direct response to the protests.

Although it might be just one of the reasons and could very well a hit in the air but the time of cancellation is very convenient and definitely points towards as the reason.