Crown Media Chesapeake Shores
Fans of Hallmark’s series “Chesapeake Shores” were heartbroken to learn that season 6, premiering this summer, will be the show’s final season. After 10 episodes air in the final season, the series will be over. However, when Hallmark first announced the news, it wasn’t clear why the network was canceling the series. Here’s what they later revealed.
The Network Said It Wanted the Series to End on a ‘High Note’
When people on Twitter asked why the network decided to cancel “Chesapeake Shores,” Hallmark’s official Twitter account had a response.
@LerumLerum6 We are so proud of Chesapeake Shores, a show that has captured imaginations and was reaching a natural conclusion, and we decided to wrap up the show on a high note in the sixth and final season, which premieres later this summer.
The channel wrote on Twitter, “We are so proud of Chesapeake Shores, a show that has captured imaginations and was reaching a natural conclusion, and we decided to wrap up the show on a high note in the sixth and final season, which premieres later this summer.”
Fans weren’t happy with the answer.
Dalynne Grover replied, “This is the same response we got when you cancelled Good Witch, except Chesapeake Shores actually gets to have a natural conclusion. Please give the same courtesy to #GoodWitch #Goodies we deserve at least a Halloween movie, so Abigail and Donovan can have a happy ending.”
Sharon wrote, “Dont understand why you are getting rid of such good shows. Did the same with Cedar Cove 😔”
@steetzel2 @hallmarkchannel I know right ❤️😭
Laurie Ferneau, SVP Programming, Series, at Hallmark Channel, told Deadline when they announced the news about the cancelation: “With a top-notch ensemble cast and creative team, ‘Chesapeake Shores’ has shared stories that are relatable, poignant and unforgettable. We look forward to honoring the journey viewers have been on with the O’Briens with one final, special season.”
The last season will be 10 episodes long.
Some Fans Are Asking for Jesse Metcalfe to Return
@WHOGIRL2 you do know that he’s the one who made the decision to leave the show and last season was way better than the previous seasons with Trace no longer there
One fan replied to Hallmark, writing, “Bring back Jesse Metcalfe. He made this whole show…”
And another fan answered, “you do know that he’s the one who made the decision to leave the show and last season was way better than the previous seasons with Trace no longer there.”
Metcalfe said in an interview with The List that he would only return to “Chesapeake Shores” if he knew that Trace and Abby would ultimately end up together.
Ratings Were Lower This Past Season
According to TV Series Finale, ratings were lower this season. The fifth season averaged about .10 in the 18-49 age range, which was about 46% lower in that demographic from the previous season, plus 15% lower in live+same day viewership ratings.
The show on average in season 5 had about 1.45 million viewers total, TV Series Finale reported. In season 4, the episodes had 1.8 million viewers, 1.77, 1.67, 1.69, and 1.54 million viewers each week. That was very similar to season 3, which averaged 1.669 to 1.413 million viewers a week. So season 5 was still within the range of the previous seasons for overall viewers, but on the lower end of the range. And it had a drop in the valued 18-49 demographic.
TV Series Finale revealed that the show only had more than 1.56 million viewers once during season 5. The season 5 finale brought in 1.611 million live viewers.
READ NEXT: Hallmark’s April 2022 Movie Lineup