The Real Reason 'All Rise' Was Canceled Is Not a Pretty One
Published May 17 2021, 9:24 p.m. ET
Every Monday night, one of our biggest joys was tuning into All Rise, a legal drama with literally all the drama. However, the drama extended from on-camera to behind-the-scenes, and many expect that could be the reason All Rise was canceled. Still, that might not be the only reason.
While many of us love All Rise, led by Simone Missick as Judge Lola Carmichael, we might be in the minority. The show did a lot of good in telling unique stories, but at the same time, there was a lot of controversy when it came to the portrayals of Black characters that caused All Rise to lose a lot of steam. So here are the contributing factors to why All Rise was canceled.
CBS is saying ‘All Rise’ was canceled because of its ratings.
Just like any show that gets canceled, the number one reason is typically because of subpar ratings. According to TV Line, All Rise ratings went down 27 percent from its first season and hovered around .45, which isn’t the best. Not only is that low in general, but All Rise ranked 12th out of 14 original CBS dramas, so its future was already on the rocks.
With viewership dropping, a third-season renewal just didn't seem likely. Sometimes it takes new shows a couple of seasons to find their footing, but typically the two-season mark is when we all know if it actually makes the cut. For All Rise, it, unfortunately, will not. It’s averaging only 4 million live viewers, which isn’t enough for CBS to keep it going.
It’s possible that ‘All Rise’ was canceled due to some behind-the-scenes drama.
All Rise had drama of its own when there was a strike in the writers room during the writing process of the second season. Several members of the writing staff came forward with allegations against showrunner and series creator Greg Spottiswood. All Rise was CBS’s foray into more diversity with a Black female-led drama, but it was created by a white man — Greg.
The New York Times actually reported on the mass exodus of writers, in which currently only two out of the original seven were left to finish up the season. Shernold Edwards, a Black woman who has written for several shows before All Rise, said she quit because “we had to do so much behind the scenes to keep these scripts from being racist and offensive.”
Fellow writer Sunil Nayar explained, “It became clear to me, when I left the show, that I was only there because I’m the brown guy. Greg hired me to be his brown guy.” The agreement amongst the writing staff is proof that the environment Greg created was not conducive to the diversity that All Rise was trying to present.
In March 2021, Deadline reported that Greg was officially let go of All Rise, and that executive producer Dee Harris-Lawrence would be taking over as the showrunner. While he was investigated for his offensive and racially insensitive language when the allegations first came out, the production company took steps to provide a safer workplace.
However, it seems like that wasn’t enough. Since Greg’s behavior continued, this created an uneven production process, which could have also resulted in the drop in viewers.
What is the date of the last episode of ‘All Rise'?
Due to the sudden news that All Rise would be canceled for its third season, the last episode is airing pretty soon. All Rise’s last episode will air Monday, May 24. And because the entire second season was completed before any word on if it would be canceled or renewed, it’s very likely that All Rise could end with a cliffhanger.
Tune in to CBS on May 24 at 9 p.m. EST for the series finale of All Rise.
