It is a sad day for fans of Ash vs Evil Dead. After three crazy awesome blood-spattered seasons, Starz has finally given the axe (or the chainsaw?) to Ash vs Evil Dead, arguably one of the best shows on TV for the past few years. There will not be a fourth season and the season 3 finale, airing in two weeks, will now serve as a series finale.
While the show has remained critically acclaimed since its debut three years ago and has a very loyal fanbase, it has struggled heavily in the ratings department this season with very low viewership, largely a result of the show being one of the most pirated series online. Carmi Zlotnik, the President of Programming at Starz, had the following to say in response to the network canceling the show: "Ash v Evil Dead has taken audiences on a wild ride for three seasons thanks to the fantastic performances and creative efforts of Sam, Bruce, Rob and the entire cast and crew. We are proud to send the show out with a bang…and a splat."
Series star Bruce Campbell posted the following tweet earlier today, thanking everyone for the ride and role of a lifetime and seemingly saying goodbye to playing Ash Williams:
Dana DeLorenzo, who plays Kelly, also expressed her thanks to the incredible cast she has worked with for the past three years, especially Lucy Lawless, Ray Santiago, and Bruce Campbell. She also thanked Starz, Sam Raimi, and everyone else on the production side for a thrill of a lifetime:
With the season 3 finale now serving as the series finale, it is very likely that we will be closing the door on the Evil Dead franchise as a whole once and for all. While Bruce Campbell had initially indicated that a movie could occur if the show was canceled, in recent months he has changed his tune, indicating that he would likely hang up the chainsaw were the show to be canceled, and that cancellation would likely serve as the end of the franchise.
Its important to note that it is best to never say never when talking about the Evil Dead franchise. For years Bruce Campbell said we would never see him back as Ash and now we have had three seasons worth of him playing the character, more than two decades after Army of Darkness. It is always possible that a fourth movie could be made, at one point there were rumors of multiple films, or perhaps the show could get picked up by another streaming service. For the time being though, it appears that the season 3 finale will be the swan song for our favorite chainsaw wielding badass.
At the very least, it appears Ash vs Evil Dead will be ending on a bang as Ash and company face off against a deadite epidemic resulting from the Dark Ones escaping their prison. Be sure to tune in for the final two episodes of Ash vs Evil Dead, which air Sunday night at 9 pm EST on Starz. And never forget- Ghostbeaters for life!