In a statement released via email earlier this afternoon, WGN America has announced that it’s canceling its award-winning Underground Railroad drama series Underground after just two seasons. ”Despite Underground being a terrific and important series, it no longer fits with our new direction and we have reached the difficult decision not to renew it for a third season,” Tribune Media CEO Peter Kern says in said statement. “We are tremendously proud of this landmark series that captured the zeitgeist and made an impact on television in a way never before seen on the medium … It is our hope that this remarkable show finds another home and continues its stories of courage, determination and freedom.”
Although the show garnered positive reviews from The A.V. Club’s Joshua Alston and Danette Chavez and debuted among the top 20 cable dramas in its second season, the show was a bit of a relic for its parent network, which is reportedly giving up on scripted television altogether à la A&E. (WGN America gave its other scripted series, Salem and Outsiders, the boot in December and April, respectively.) Meanwhile, co-creator Misha Green has already booked her next gig, signing on to write and serve as showrunner for Lovecraft Country, a blend of racially-charged drama and supernatural horror set in 1950s Jim Crow America, for HBO and Jordan Peele.