Could ABC Canceling ‘Lucky 13’ Mean Good News for ‘The Chase’? Fans Think So
Lucky 13, hosted by Shaquille O’Neal and Gina Rodriguez, was not a slam dunk for ABC. On Thursday (November 14), the network announced that it had abruptly canceled the game show after one season. Fans are sharing their thoughts on the news, with some predicting this could be a good sign for a well-respected ABC quiz show stuck in renewal limbo.
According to Deadline, the ad revenue for the show “fell well short” in Season 1, leading to producer Studio 1 not green-lighting a Season 2. An ABC representative told the outlet that Lucky 13 “can return” in some other version down the line, but there are currently no plans for that to happen. Lucky 13 was actually a ratings smash over the summer, debuting at No. 1 in its time period. Season 1 consisted of 10 episodes and finished airing on September 19.
Game show fans took to a dedicated Reddit forum to discuss the abrupt news. Some shared that they hoped this meant ABC was making budgetary space for The Chase.
“Kinda not surprising,” one fan wrote. “It was a decent premise, but the execution was just weird. We watched the first 3 or 4 episodes, and something about it just didn’t click, so we gave up.”
“It was obnoxious and overcomplicated,” wrote another. “I got pretty far through the interview process (including an hour-long zoom interview with lots of ‘okay, now say the same thing, but for our producers to see!’ direction), but after watching the show, I’m glad I didn’t have to go to Vegas and waste my time.”
“Not shocked I just hope they renew The Chase,” wrote a third. “It needs a longer run in the USA.”
“Thank goodness. Shaq on this show was like Shaq throwing free throws,” quipped a fourth.
The Chase, the U.S. version of a huge U.K. trivia show, debuted in 2021. It stars Victoria Groce, James Holzhauer, Buzzy Cohen, Brad Rutter, and Brandon Blackwell as Chasers is hosted by ABC The View’s Sara Haines. With its similarities to Jeopardy! (and all of the Chasers former champions), it’s cryptically been on the Season 4 renewal cusp since the spring.
The last episode of The Chase aired in July 2023, and there has been no update from ABC on whether or not the game show will return since.
During the last Jeopardy! Masters special on ABC, host Ken Jennings (a former Chaser) stunned Groce, who was competing as a contestant by implying that The Chase had been canceled. “And our viewers probably remember you from The Chase, where you were known as The Queen.”
“Are,” Groce replied, highlighting how Jennings spoke in the past tense. “Are, sorry,” Jennings replied as Groce laughed with a head tilt (above) and told him, “That’s alright.”
What do you think? Could the end of Lucky 13 be good news for The Chase? Let us know in the comments section below!
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