‘Stumptown’ cancelled due to COVID-19

Fire up the coffee maker and settle down for your strongest cup of Portland brew, because as it turns out Stumptown will no longer be returning for a second season after all. And fans have the coronavirus pandemic to thank for it.The Cobie Smulders-led drama (which is based on the graphic novels of the same name) was renewed for a second season last May, and confirmed as a part of ABC’s official fall lineup last June. Now sources are telling Deadline that after some timing issues related to the production-start, it’s impossible for the series to launch in the fall—and that’s when the network needed it to air. Apparently the show wouldn’t have been ready until at least April, and as a result ABC was forced to cancel it, despite its previous commitment.The publication also confirms that coronavirus had a huge impact on the show not being able to start production, something many other series have had to grapple with as the world continues figuring this pandemic out. The virus isn’t the only factor though: the new season of Stumptown was reportedly going to go in a new creative direction, as former co-showrunner Matt Olmstead stepped down and Monica Owusu-Breen (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) stepped in.The first season finale of Stumptown ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, when Smulders avenged her husband’s killers and came face-to-face with her mother—a character that remained offscreen to the audience. Over the summer many fans speculated who could play that mum (Smulders herself threw Susan Sarandon, Mary Steenburgen and Mary McDonnell’s names into the mix), while also wondering what the new creative direction behind-the-scenes would actually mean.Officially, Stumptown isn’t dead-dead just yet, since ABC Signature, the studio behind the show, is shopping it around. However as Deadline also notes, Stumptown is the kind of drama that comes with a high price tag. It was one of the most expensive second-season shows on network television thanks to its stunts, extensive location shoots and of course, romance. All of those things also happen to be extremely hard to film during coronavirus (many real-life partners are standing in for love scenes right now, for example).Stumptown isn’t the only show that is no longer renewed as a result of the pandemic. The Society and I’m Not OK With This were axed at Netflix, and I’m Sorry was also cancelled at TBS.So far (at time of press) none of the show’s stars, which include Smulders, Jake Johnson and Michael Ealy, have responded to the news. The original filming on the show’s pilot took place in Vancouver, but production moved to Los Angeles when Stumptown was picked up in 2019. Smulders, who was born and raised in VanCity, lives in Los Angeles with her husband Taran Killam and their two daughters. She also recently announced that she has officially become a U.S. citizen after years of working in the States.While the cast and crew will probably have to take a bit of time now to reconsider their options, Smulders is also working on bringing Amy Stuart’s Still series of novels to the small screen. The actor recently teamed with Lark Productions to retell the story of a woman who tracks down missing people, and while she is currently only attached to executive produce, maybe now she can also star.[video_embed id='2030335']BEFORE YOU GO: Cat attempts daily hilarious attack on mail carrier [/video_embed]