As we get closer to the fall TV premiers, that means we're also getting one step closer to cancellations and renewals. It came down to the wire for The Resident’s renewal earlier this year, now, co-creator Amy Holden Jones is discussing the Fox medical drama’s potential future.
The future of shows is always unpredictable, even if a show has steady viewership, which has been true of The Resident, one of Fox’s mainstays. While it’s unknown whether we’ll be seeing more of Chastain Park Memorial After Season 6, it is a conversation worth having. In an interview with TVLine, Amy Holden Jones also talked about the challenges of being a series that has deep ties to Fox after that company’s acquisition by Disney.
The fate of the show is somewhat caught up in the fact that it’s owned by Disney but shown by Fox, which is not an ideal scenario… And that’s also tied up with the fate of the network drama, which, God only knows, at this point. The ratings are incredibly stable. We have a very core audience that just loves us, and if we have a chance, I’m sure we will continue to grow. It has the potential to go on and on, but whether it’ll be given that shot, I don’t know.
The drama has been a major scripted series for Fox and is always changing, whether it be saying goodbye to a longtime Chastain favorite or bringing in a new series regular on The Resident. For example, Emily VanCamp’s exit ahead of Season 5 was shocking, but the actress returned for the season finale, and Conrad and Nic's chemistry was still electric. Network dramas are unpredictable, but if viewership keeps up, hopefully, the series has a chance to continue on after the upcoming season.
There are a lot of medical dramas on network TV, especially in the last few decades. I personally think there is just something that is so captivating about seeing the lives of doctors and nurses on screen and seeing them save someone’s life or struggle with failure.
Amy Holden Jones brought up ER and how she loved seeing the series reinvent itself every few seasons and go in a different direction, even if it meant getting rid of beloved characters. The former longest-running primetime medical drama lasted for 15 seasons, and Jones is hoping that The Resident follows suit:
It’s my fondest hope that people will realize you can pick it up at any time. If you started the season and had never seen one before, you would have no trouble following and engaging, and learning who they are. I hope it keeps going.
While it’s hard to say goodbye to key characters on The Resident, it’s a good thing to keep storylines fresh. With Grey’s Anatomy heading into its 19th season, the future of medical dramas definitely looks bright.
The upcoming sixth season of The Resident will see Conrad following his heart and much more. It will be interesting to see what happens and what drama will ensue at Chastain Park Memorial Hospital. Fingers crossed that this won’t be the last season for them, but if it is, hopefully, we’ll get a satisfying finale and have an answer to the question: is The Resident coming back?
For now, we’ll just have to look forward to the Season 6 premiere airing on Tuesday, September 20 at 8 p.m. ET on Fox.
