UPDATED: The last-ditch fan effort to save Famous In Love led by executive producer I. Marlene King has come up short. Freeform has opted not to order a third season of the drama series starring Bella Thorne. The May 30 Season 2 finale served as the series finale.
“We are proud to have had the opportunity to air Famous In Love,” the network said in a statement. After many discussions we have made the difficult decision not to renew the show for a third season. We want to thank our colleagues at Warner Horizon and our incredible producers, writers, cast and crew, especially Marlene King, for their creativity, hard work and dedication.”
The renewal decision was not an easy one. The series ended Season 2 on a high note, showing organic growth and posting new season highs in key demographics in three of the last five weeks. However, year-vs-year, Famous In Love’s ratings were down.
Still, Famous In Love starred a social media powerhouse, Thorne; it developed a devoted fan following, earning Teen Choice Award and MTV Movie/TV Award nominations and finished Season 2 with multiple cliffhangers. It also comes from one of Freeform’s top showrunners, King, who is behind the network’s biggest hit, Pretty Little Liars, and the upcoming spinoff series, The Perfectionists.
Hulu has US SVOD rights to Famous In Love, and I hear it was approached about co-producing/funding a third season about a month or so ago. I hear the streaming service ultimately passed on the idea.
Following online reports earlier this week that Famous In Love had been canceled, she rallied fans on social media.
We are still praying for our season 3. Feel free to join us. @FamousInLoveTV ā¤ļø https://t.co/08k8wod5AQ
— I. Marlene King (@imarleneking) June 28, 2018
She also teased her Season 3 plans.
Thank you. We have such great story planned for season 3. Fingers crossed. šš§”šā¤ļø https://t.co/WNU4LeZ1MG
— I. Marlene King (@imarleneking) June 29, 2018
Based on Rebecca Serle’s novel, Famous in Love hailed from Pretty Little Liars’ creator King. Thorne starred as Paige, a college student who lands a starring role in a Hollywood blockbuster. Cast also included Carter Jenkins, Charlie Depew, Georgie Flores, Niki Koss, Pepi Sonuga, Keith Powers and Perrey Reeves.
King and Melissa Carter co-showran and served as executive producers along with Miguel Arteta, Dan Farah and Serle. The series was co-developed by King and Serle and was produced by Long Lake Media, Farah Films and Carmina Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television.
The cancellation of Famous In Love comes on the heels of Freeform canceling Shadowhunters, which will end after its current third season.
