How is this for diplomatic relations? The Canadian cop drama Flashpoint will live to see a fourth season, thanks to a collaborative effort from American channels CBS and ION that will help finance the upcoming 18 episodes ordered by CTV.
After CBS aired its last episode of Flashpoint in September of 2010, the network remained mum on future plans to have the program continue in the United States. Then, at the Television Critics Association press tour, CBS president Nina Tassler briefly indicated the network still had six episodes from the third season that had yet to be shown. Executive producers of the show Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Mustos later confirmed Tassler’s statements and elaborated by announcing a syndication deal with ION that follows the shows return to CBS at least one more time.In the deal, CBS plans to mash up the aforementioned six unaired episodes with seven more from the upcoming fourth season, into a 13-episode run that will likely round out the network’s plans for original programming this summer. So, what then will become of the other 11 episodes of Flashpoint? Are they destined to sit on a shelf until a network president needs to fill a slot in the network’s summer programming?
The answer: ION. After CBS’s episodes have aired, a syndication deal with ION will go into effect. The deal gives ION access to all 51 episodes of Flashpoint—including the final 11 episodes of season four—to air on its owned and operated stations across the United States. ION has had great success before with its syndication of other CBS procedural dramas, such as Criminal Minds and Without a Trace.
While this is certainly great news for both fans of Flashpoint, and those who crave new summer programming, the lackadaisical announcement by CBS, combined with the potentially awkward multi-season mishmash that is planned, all but indicate the network’s relationship with the program has likely come to an end.
CTV, however, may continue to run with the show despite a lack of interest from CBS. Flashpoint has seen its hometown audience grow during its latest mid-season run, which concludes February 6th after the Super Bowl. In what is being touted as a “shocking season finale,” cast members Enrico Colantoni (Galaxy Quest, Veronica Mars) and everybody’s favorite pink ranger, Amy Jo Johnson, will face off alongside the rest of their unit against Alias’ Victor Garber as he puts his plan to destroy the special tactical team into action. Whatever the outcome, American fans will just have to wait for the show to return this summer to see what happens.
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Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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