Fans Still Not Over Netflix Dropping Longmire Without Ending
Longmire, through an interesting and unique history, has transformed into an iconic TV show. The first few seasons were a major success for A&E before the network inexplicably decided to stop producing the show after season three. Netflix was able to rescue the series and produced three more memorable, if not better seasons of Longmire.
However, despite season six concluding in 2017 (and no apparent plans from Netflix to revive the series), fans are still not over the end of Longmire.
The season six finale (S6, E10: "Goodbye is Always Implied") finalized a lot of character arcs and brought the story to a conclusion. Walt (Robert Taylor) and Vic (Katee Sackhoff) finally reach a breaking point regarding their romantic tension. Cady (Cassidy Freeman) takes over as sheriff of Absaroka County. And, the longtime villain of Longmire – Jacob Nighthorse (A Martinez) – turns the casino over to Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips).
Nevertheless, the series finale of Longmire didn't sit well with audiences. There were many disappointed fans that voiced their frustrations on threads like Reddit. Even the title of the final episode – "Goodbye Is Always Implied" – indicated that it may or may not be the conclusion.
However, fast forward five years and there are still no signs of developing a new season of Longmire moving forward. Netflix failed to provide an explanation as to why they concluded Longmire after six seasons, three of which the popular streaming produced in-house. Thus, whether because of finances, viewership, or the writers determining it was time – the chance at resurrecting Longmire seems frivolous.
It hasn't stopped many fans from voicing their issues with the finale online. For starters, many fans felt like the age gap between Walt and Vic was not only creepy, but forced into the story. And, in addition to the cringe-worthy relationship, viewers were also annoyed with the quick ascension of Cady. Indeed, several Redditors still feel like much of the subplots were hurried to finish the show.
Nevertheless, the real problem with Longmire may be that fans are simply not ready to say goodbye to the show. As one Redditor summarized, "The real problem I had with the ending is that it ended."
What's more, there are rumors that Longmire will be off Netflix altogether one day. Despite Netflix purchasing the rights to seasons 4-6, the company does not technically own Longmire. Rather, the TV series is licensed under Warner Brothers Television. Therefore, Netflix doesn't have exclusive licensing to Longmire despite creating the last three seasons.
Consequently, Longmire left the Canadian version of Netflix in 2021 and may experience the same fate in the United States. In general, most TV content Warner Brothers licenses out to Netflix lasts for 4-5 years. So, despite recent (and false) rumors that a Longmire movie is under development, there are no indications the series is returning anytime soon.
What do you think of all this news? Did Longmire appropriately conclude everything and bring it full circle with Walt making coffee at the end of season six? Or, were you unhappy with the season finale and felt like it was a rushed ending?