CBS All Access has opted not to renew their series, Tell Me a Story for a third season. However, the show will get a chance to be seen by more viewers as The CW has acquired the rights to air the first two seasons on the network.
Seasons 1 & 2 of Tell Me a Story will continue to be available on CBS All Access across platforms, with the CW licensing the first two seasons for a second-window run. A lot is being made about these network acquisitions and if it means that the series’ could get a reprieve and receive new episodes if they’re successful. The CW also acquired the network rights for the DC Universe canceled series, Swamp Thing, but this does not mean renewals are in the future for either show. This is mostly being done so that the networks have programming to air in the fall just in case productions on their current series can’t get started in time to have content ready to air. If they happen to do really well, I’m sure talks could start to bring them back but that’s not set in stone. Fox is pulling a similar move by airing re-runs of the Spectrum Originals series, L.A.’s Finest, starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba. That series is performing quite well for Spectrum but Fox sought the series out to add more live-action programming to its lineup for the fall in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second season of Tell Me a Story will remain exclusively on CBS All Access until Q4 2020. The CW will be able to run it anytime after that. Because of the limited footprint of CBS All Access, the CW airings would expose Tell Me a Story to a wider audience. On the show, beloved fairy tales are reimagined as dark and twisted psychological thrillers. Set in modern-day New York City, the first season of this serialized drama interweaves “The Three Little Pigs,” “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Hansel and Gretel” into an epic and subversive tale of love, loss, greed, revenge, and murder. Exploring an entirely new set of characters, season two of Tell Me a Story features the stories of three legendary princesses – “Beauty and the Beast,” “Sleeping Beauty” and “Cinderella” Across two seasons the series has starred James Wolk, Billy Magnussen, Dania Ramirez, Danielle Campbell, Dorian Missick, Michael Raymond-James, Davi Santos, Sam Jaeger, Zabryna Guevara, Paul Wesley, Kim Cattrall, Carrie-Anne Moss, Odette Annable, Eka Darville, Matt Lauria, Natalie Alyn Lind, and Ashley Madekwe.
