(Photo: OWN)
OWN is closing Judge Carmichael’s courtroom. The cable channel has cancelled the All Rise series, so there won’t be a fourth season. The first half of the third season aired last summer. A year later, the rest of the episodes have gotten a premiere date.
A legal drama series, the All Rise TV show stars Simone Missick, Wilson Bethel, Jessica Camacho, J. Alex Brinson, Ruthie Ann Miles, Lindsay Mendez, Lindsey Gort, and Marg Helgenberger. Samantha Marie Ware, Paul McCrane, and Suzanne Cryer recur. The series follows the chaotic, hopeful (and sometimes absurd) world of those working at a Los Angeles courthouse. Lola Carmichael (Missick), an appointed judge who was previously a highly regarded and impressive deputy district attorney, is at the center of this drama series. She depends on the counsel of people like her best friend, Deputy District Attorney Mark Callan (Bethel), Judge Lisa Benner (Helgenberger), and pragmatic judicial assistant Sherri Kansky (Miles). She works with professionals like public defender Emily Lopez (Camacho), bailiff-turned-public defender Luke Watkins (Brinson), court reporter Sara Castillo (Mendez), defense attorney Amy Quinn (Gort), law clerk Vanessa “Ness” Johnson (Ware), Judge Jonas Laski (McCrane), and Deputy District Attorney Maggie Palmer (Cryer). Lola pushes the boundaries and challenges the expectations of what a judge can be and receives both support and pushback from those around her.
The first two seasons of All Rise ran on CBS before the network cancelled the show. OWN subsequently revived the show for a third season of 20 episodes, likely hoping to attract a bigger-than-usual audience. The first ten installments aired last summer with mediocre ratings, and there’d been no word on when the remaining episodes would see the light of day.
OWH has now announced that season three will resume on Saturday, September 16th. The decision to cancel the series isn’t surprising since the cast’s options lapsed last March.
“We are extremely proud of the positive impact All Rise has made in showcasing strong, accomplished Black female characters,” said Tina Perry, President of OWN. “We are so grateful to all of our creative collaborators and wish to thank the talented cast and crew for their dedication and incredible work on the series.”
What do you think? Have you watched the All Rise TV series on OWN? Will you be watching the final episodes? Are you disappointed to hear that this drama wasn’t renewed for a fourth season?