Atlanta productions: 'Sleepy Hollow' back, 'Containment,' 'Game of Silence' cancelled

By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday May 13, 2016

For Atlanta-based productions, today was a mixed bag.

Fox has renewed "Sleepy Hollow" for a fourth season despite the departure of co-lead Nicole Beharie.

The production shifted to metro Atlanta season three after North Carolina cut back on its tax credits.

The whimsical drama opened big in 2013 but lost steam over time. It averaged 4.8 million viewers this past season and was very much "on the bubble" for renewal.

Beharie reportedly wanted out of her contract and was granted her wish, with her character killed off at the end of season three.

Two mid-season shows got cut rather quickly.

NBC's drama "Game of Silence," shot in Atlanta but set in Houston, was cancelled.  The show is about an attorney with many secrets who was forced to face his past by three of his life-long friends. NBC plans to air the rest of the episodes through its conclusion June 5. It averaged 5.5 million viewers and a 1 share 18-49.

NBC also nixed newbies "Telenovela," "Crowded" and "Heartbeat."

The CW also dropped a show that is still on air and just debuted a few weeks ago: "Containment." It was about a fast-killing plague killing folks in Midtown Atlanta that forces authorities to create a "containment zone."

Its ratings, relatively speaking, weren't bad: 1.5 million on average so far. But the CW renewed most of its lineup and added three new series, plus "Supergirl" on CBS. It simply didn't have space for a show that didn't quite fit with others that were focused heavily on the supernatural and superheroes.