Canceled, but not forgotten, the Shawn Ryan produced detective series, Terriers, may be coming back in the form of a two-hour television movie, if the producer’s plans to secure funding and talks with series creator Ted Griffin go well.
Back in 2010, Terriers was the best show on FX not titled Justified. Starring Donal Logue and Michael Raymond-James (True Blood) as a pair of unorthodox private investigators, the series consisted of a 13-episode season revolving around an ever-broadening case and the sometimes-chaotic personal lives of the two leads. As is too often the case with great television, the show fell victim to low ratings and was summarily canceled by the network. The now obligatory conversation of Netflix picking up the series was suggested in certain corners of the Internet, but just like the official talk of The River and Terra Nova being resurrected by the streaming service, nothing came of such a rumors.
Now, despite having his hands full with the new ABC military drama Last Resort, Ryan has begun looking into the possibility of bringing Terriers back as a partially crowd funded television movie. Spurred on by his belief that story possibilities still exist, and by the incredibly high viewing numbers Terriers has received since becoming available on Netflix Instant, Ryan’s plan would make him the highest profile television producer to procure funding through Kickstarter, and, if it’s successful, will undoubtedly raise more than a few eyebrows amongst his peers in the TV industry.
In an interview with TBI Vision, Ryan stated:
“I’ve had friends who’ve raised money for indie movies through Kickstarter and I started to think that if you wanted to make a 2 hour movie that capped off that series, how would it cost to make it and would there be a way to raise the money via a combination of Netflix and Kickstarter.”
Obviously, Ryan is motivated partially because he feels Terriers failed to receive the kind of send off it deserved – even though FX president John Landgraff referred to the series as “a beloved 13-episode miniseries,” when news came regarding the program’s cancellation. Ryan’s implication that the two-hour movie would cap off the series suggests that should the project come to fruition, it may be the only out-of-series story the producer plans to tell. While most fans would undoubtedly prefer a 13-hour movie, spread out over as many weeks, any additional Terriers stories would likely be received with great excitement.
Beyond the question of a successful crowd funding campaign and securing a home for the movie, Ryan is still faced with the obstacle of who actually owns the property – not to mention wrangling up the series stars to reprise their roles.
“It’s a very nervous time in the TV industry because paradigms are changing, but it’s also exciting because in the past the show would have been dead and gone and never to be revived but [now] there is a way to do something. I don’t own the rights, Fox 21 does but maybe there’d be some upside for them if they didn’t have to chip in a dime but all of a sudden had a two hour movie as an asset that they could add to what they have on Netflix, maybe they’d go for it.”
As far as talent goes, Donal Logue was last attached to producer Marc Cherry’s Hallelujah, but that series appears dead, while Michael Raymond-James made a brief appearance in The Walking Dead season 2, and will be seen in Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher. At present, there doesn’t seem to be anything on either actor’s schedule that could contractually prevent them from signing on. The series also featured a large role for Laura Allen, who segued into the short-lived NBC’s series Awake following Terriers‘ dismissal, so perhaps she, Logue and Raymond-James can all pitch in and help Ryan get the TV movie funded, so this superb idea can happen sooner rather than later.
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Screen Rant will keep you posted on the progress of Shawn Ryan’s plan for a Terriers TV movie, as news develops.
Source: TBI Vision
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“Back in 2010, Terriers was the best show on FX not titled Justified or Sons of Anarchy” Fixed. =)
I absolutely loved this show, I honestly saw almost no advertising for this show and the advertising they did do completely misrepresented the show as a procedural with the likes of Bones, with 2 funny bantering leads, the show was so much deeper than that, not to mention not really a procedural, so i don’t think it ever got a fair shot, based on bad advertising, or lack there of, and wrong target audience.
Omg, I know I have to take this kind of news with precaution, because it’s difficult to make them happen. But I’m so thrilled.
Terriers was my favourite show on 2010 and I was really sad to saw it go. It was an awesome season but I always wanted to see more of the characters.
And just for the record, I will absolutely put my money on this project, so, Shawn Ryan, do it!!
Same here,put it on Kickstarter,you got my backing and those of my friends as well !
We all loved the show and it was a shame it was canceled after just one season !
I’m one of the people who watched the show on Netflix and absolutely loved it…
So if ends up happening I’d gladly watch…
Count me in….. as a viewer, buyer, investor, whatever. This needs to happen.
Absolutely, completely, undoubtedly I’m all in! I loved Terriers and still miss it.
YES!!!!
OMG! Just watched this series-all 13 episodes-as part of a marathon courtesy of NETFLIX! Where was I and how did I miss this gem? Fantastic writing-great acting-made me really care and look forward to this characters. The directions that this series could’ve gone-mindblowing! I’m in-bring this back! BEst ‘buddy’ show I’ve ever seen!!! MORE!!!
If this actually does happen and they advertise the Kickstarter campaign smartly, they will definitely get the funding for it. I would pay a lot of money to see the two-hour movie he plans to make. PLEASE KEEP US NOTIFIED SCREENRANT!
HOLY HELL HOW DID I NOT HEAR ABOUT THIS SOONER?!?!?!?!? This is an absolutely brilliant idea that needs to happen NOW!!!!!!
Well, they missed their chance to be the first successful Kickstarter to revive a TV show. Looks like “Veronica Mars” pulled it off.
But maybe their success can pave the way for “Terriers.”
I loved Terriers! Just finished watching it on Netflix. I remember when it was on FX but The promos made me think the show was some kind of dark, documentary-style comedy like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia or Arrested Development. It’s no wonder only 500k tuned in. If you were expecting twisted comedy shot with a steady cam, you didn’t get it. And if you wanted to watch a witty buddy cop show, you wouldn’t have known that’s what this was.
The Veronica Mars kickstarter campaign is working. I hope this one is next! (The VMars crowd is probably closer to the target audience for this than an FX crowd, anyway. Terriers’ female characters are too likable to do well on FX.)