End of the Road for Showtime’s ‘Roadies’

Music drama Roadies will not see a season two on Showtime. The show enjoyed some heavy hitters in the producing ranks, and substantial enthusiasm among network brass. But it could not convert that to viewers.

Posting on his website The Uncool Sept. 16, creator Cameron Crowe thanked producers J.J. Abrams and Winnie Holzman, as well as Showtime, for their work on the lone season. “My mind is still spinning from the giddy highs of working with this epic cast and crew. Though we could tell a thousand more stories, this run ends with a complete ten-hour tale of music and love,” he wrote.

Centered on rock ‘n roll roadies and life on the road, the upbeat Roadies was a departure from Showtime’s more typical dark dramas with brooding anti-heroes. 

Speaking at the TCA press tour in August, David Nevins, Showtime Networks president and CEO, suggested it was the end of the line for Roadies, though he did not officially declare it dead. “I really like the show and feel like there are such incredible players on the show,” he said.

In his post, Crowe saluted Nevins and Gary Levine, Showtime president of programming, among a long list of others, for their support of the show.

Michael Malone

Michael Malone, senior content producer at B+C/Multichannel News, covers network programming, including entertainment, news and sports on broadcast, cable and streaming; and local broadcast television. He hosts the podcasts Busted Pilot, about what’s new in television, and Series Business, a chat with the creator of a new program, and writes the column “The Watchman.” He joined B+C in 2005. His journalism has also appeared in The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Playboy and New York magazine.