‘The Originals’ Loses UK Broadcaster: What Will Happen To Season 3?


UK fans of The Originals were left disappointed today after Syfy announced that it would not renew the license for Season 3. The country has now lost its British broadcaster, as there are currently no plans for another network to pick up the show.

Syfy explained that it only had the licensing rights for the first two seasons of The Vampire Diaries spinoff and that it would not look to get the third season, according to TV Wise. There were rumors that Netflix U.K. would pick up the show, but that now does not seem to be the case. Fans now want to know what will happen to their favorite show and whether they will get to see the exciting third season.

This is not the first time a TV show has lost its UK broadcaster. Supernatural fans were left without a show after Season 8 until E4 picked up the program for Season 9. The network quickly played catch up to make sure fans were not too far behind for Season 11. E4 airs a number of American programs, including The Big Bang Theory, Brooklyn 99 and Baby Daddy. It also airs classics like Charmed.

The Vampire Diaries also temporarily lost its network in the UK, leaving fans questioning its fate. The British broadcasters have to make decisions over whether it is worth pursuing the license for the next season and then negotiate a cost with the original American network.

Syfy picking up The Originals in late 2013 was a major decision. It was the first time since 2010 that the network had licensed a series from one of the major U.S. networks, and was supposed to help the network grow in popularity. Other major networks had fought against Syfy to pick up the program, but had failed.

While many will believe that there has been an argument over licensing fees, this is not the case. The network made a strategic plan not to negotiate for the third season, despite the show being popular on the network. Syfy has too many new programming needs, and The Originals Season 3 will not fit in. The show remained one of the highest performing shows on the network, despite the likes of Haven and Defiance also being part of the programming. The Librarians and Dark Matter are the only two programs to beat the vampire show.

It is unlikely that the show will be left without a British broadcaster for too long. The ratings were high, so a network will have no trouble recuperating the money spent on a licensing deal. Season 3 of the show was widely praised in the United States, so the British fans will want to see it, too. The question will be when will negotiations come to an end? It is possible that networks will fight hard for this popular show to help their own ratings, with E4 and ITV being among the networks to push for it.

The CW has renewed The Originals, although Season 4 will not air until January 2017. The Inquisitr has previously reported that the CW bosses decided to give the network a strong winter hiatus schedule to keep the ratings high. This will give British networks time to catch up once someone picks up the show for Season 3 and potentially Season 4.

The Originals fans are desperate to find out how Season 4 will play out. The Mikaelsons’ fates were left in the hands of hybrid Hayley and her and Klaus’ daughter Hope. Can they all be saved before Marcel decides to bring an end to them all?

[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]

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