(USA Network)
USA Network is closing the books on the Treadstone TV show. The cable channel has cancelled the action drama series, opting not to order a second season.
The Treadstone TV show stars Jeremy Irvine, Brian J. Smith, Omar Metwally, Tracy Ifeachor, Hyo Joo Han, Gabrielle Scharnitzky, Emilia Schüle, and Michelle Forbes, with Patrick Fugit, Michael Gaston, Shruti Haasan, and Tess Haubrich in recurring roles. Created by Tim Kring and connected to the Bourne film franchise, the show explores both the origin of the CIA black ops program — Operation: Treadstone — and its present-day actions. Treadstone uses behavior modification protocol to turn recruits into nearly superhuman assassins. Sleeper agents across the globe — from D.C. to Berlin to Paris and beyond — as they are mysteriously “awakened” to resume their deadly missions.
Characters include Doug McKenna (Smith), an all-American oil-rig worker; SoYun Pak (Han), a piano instructor, wife, and mother in North Korea; John Randolph Bentley (Irvine), a spy dispatched by the CIA to eliminate a key target; Matt Edwards (Metwally), a CIA operative who has experience hunting down rogue assets; Tara Coleman (Ifeachor), an investigative journalist; Petra (Scharnitzky), a no-nonsense Russian patriot; Ellen Becker (Forbes), a savvy CIA veteran trying to balance the demands of work and family; and a Russian KGB agent (Emilia Schüle) who will stop at nothing to promote the agenda of her motherland.
The first season of Treadstone averages a 0.13 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 502,000 viewers. Compared to the channel’s other scripted shows, Treadstone was a middle-of-the-road performer. It’s also said to be an expensive series to produce so the cancellation isn’t a surprise.
USA Network has also been moving away from producing original scripted series while shifting toward more unscripted series and event-style scripted programming.
Treadstone is yet another scripted series cancellation for USA. The channel also cancelled The Purge today and dropped Dare Me a couple of weeks ago. This leaves only the fates of The Sinner and Briarpatch up in the air.
Queen of the South has been renewed for a fifth season and season two of Dirty John (which relocated from Lifetime) is set to launch on June 2nd.
What do you think? Did you enjoy the Treadstone TV series on USA Network? Are you sorry to hear that there won’t be a second season?