The gifted season 3 premiere had me glued to my television. I had been eagerly waiting for this since the first episode aired a few weeks ago. I have enjoyed every single episode so far, and I know many more are on the way. The first season was great, but I feel The Gifted Season 3 picks up the pace where it left off, and it may be because the cast is larger and the story is more in depth. It also just may be the perfect time for the introduction of some new characters, especially since there were so many to start with.
I have to say, The Gifted Season 3 premiere did an exceptional job of opening up the viewer’s eyes to what The Gifted is all about. What makes The Gifted so unique is the reality that while the MCU has always been a bit behind the times when it comes to introducing the superhero genre (looking at Spiderman and Batman for instance), the story has never been given the real-time feature treatment. Season 1 brought a huge bang with a full line-up of thirteen episodes not in entirety connected to the X-Men franchise but rather an ongoing drama exploring the underpinnings of racism and sexism in modern day America. The show followed a young boy who developed a serious disability as a result of a car accident, and how his newfound abilities would change his family and the world as a whole. While the season started strong with the excellent “Young Victoria” episode, the show gradually lost momentum and began to explore nothing but the romance subplot.
It wasn’t until the second season that the emphasis really focused on The Gifted. Yes, there were still the X-Men characters involved, but they were not the focal point of the show. The Gifted instead became the underdog, a mutant child who doesn’t fit in with the other kids at school. The writers allowed a subplot for the inclusion of a mutant named Madison, who had been abandoned by her mother and presumed dead after a mysterious incident. Her condition caused her to develop telekinetic abilities which later allowed her to turn the whole town into a dangerous hive of scammers and killers. The Gifted also featured Dexter “Buster” Claflin, a burned out former police officer turned Magneto, and was definitely the highlight of the show.
So why did the second season of The Gifted lose its momentum? The answer lies in the direction of the show’s main stars. Jennifer Aniston’s character was just too perfect for the role, and I think the writers realized it too late. When the series went into the summer break, a number of rumors began swirling that Jennifer Aniston was set to take a break from the role. Although the actress denied the reports at the time, it was clear something was coming.
The second season of The Gifted was canceled after the second episode, “Displacement,” was released. However, Fox kept the series on the air, releasing it in the summer as its replacement for X-Men: The New York Season 2. Once the new series debuted, it became apparent that The Gifted would be staying for a third season. By the end of the third season, the audience had grown tired of Jennifer Aniston’s character, and many of the fan base felt that the character was becoming over the top. It was then that the network made the decision to cancel the show. So why was The Gifted canceled after the first season?
There were several theories floating around as to the cancellation. One theory that made the most sense was that The Gifted was in trouble for not being appropriate for TV. Some people thought that The Gifted could have been a direct competitor for Supernatural, giving a stiff competition to the latter’s already packed audience. This would have forced Fox to think harder about The Gifted and whether or not it fit into their future shows.
Another reason The Gifted was canceled is because the show was not exciting enough for TV. Many people thought that The Gifted would be a complete misfire, especially with the poor ratings that the show received. For a network to get rid of a popular series without giving it much chance to fail is risky business, and The Gifted likely had a lot riding on the cancellation. Fox also probably realized that the second season would be a test to see if The Gifted would hit the airwaves again; if it did not, they had better get a replacement show ready for The Gifted. If The Gifted did not happen, it would be a clear sign that network television does not have the interest in offering popular shows for the rest of the season.
Of course, there is still hope for The Gifted’s revival. There are several potential TV shows that will launch in the next year or so that have been written and could start production as soon as next spring. It will be interesting to see how these new programs play out, but The Gifted could very well find its way back for a third season in the future. The Gifted’s fans are probably very happy with the cancellation, but they are going to have to be happy also if The Gifted season 3 ends with the character going back to normal. The writers of The Gifted are very skilled at keeping viewers interested, which is why the cancellation was such a blow. With the possible debut of some new shows, the intrigue surrounding The Gifted may just grow in the coming years.