BBC's 'The Hour' canceled

The BBC announced today that its critically acclaimed period drama "The Hour" would not be returning for a third season.

"We loved the show but have to make hard choices to bring new shows through," said a BBC spokesperson in the announcement.

The series, which revolved around a groundbreaking 1950s BBC news magazine show and the tumultuous lives of its reporters, drew much critical acclaim during its limited run. The show was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Miniseries or Television Film for both of its seasons, while series leads Dominic West and Romola Garai were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.

It's tough to argue the cancellation based on numbers. The series' first season premiere brought in respectable numbers with its initial UK airings, drawing 2.9 million viewers, but the viewership took a nosedive in the second season as that premiere only drew 1.3 million viewers.

Regardless of viewership, the second season really hit its stride dramatically moreso than its first with a season-long arc rooted in a corruption conspiracy, while also touching on themes such as racism and the sex trade. The cancellation is made even more painful since the second season really left off on a bit of a cliffhanger, with Ben Whishaw's Freddie Lyon beaten to a pulp and possibly near-death after cornering a shady nightclub owner and threatening to expose his fruitful blackmail scheme.

Hopefully, the series is one of the rare few that gets picked up for one more run (or a special to tie up loose ends) on Netflix, HBO, or the like. What do you think of this cancellation?