The CTV Canadian police crime drama Flashpoint follows a fictional special unit within the Canadian metropolitan police force called the Strategic Response Unit (SRU). Equipped with high-tech tools and weapons, the SRU is tasked with taking on more extreme cases than that of regular cops. These incidences included heavily armed criminals, bomb threats and hostage situations. And though the SRU is certainly mighty in weaponry, they aim to resolve situations with negotiation, only using violence when necessary. Using their intuition, the decision is often made in a split-second, which is why the show is named Flashpoint.
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Airing from 2008 to 2012 on CTV and CBS in the States, Flashpoint ended after its fifth season. However, the show was still in its prime during that time and had sparked the creation of several other procedural crime series. What killed Flashpoint wasn’t bad ratings or unpopularity — it was a creative decision made by the show’s team.
In May of 2012, producers Anne Marie La Traverse and Bill Mustos told Flashpoint‘s cast and crew that the final thirteen episodes would wrap by late June of the same year. In a statement, the two said they “decided to end the series on a high note, and give those fans the satisfaction of a fitting series conclusion in our 75th episode.” Ultimately, the creators chose to end Flashpoint on their own terms to give fans the best ending possible.
Still, rumors circulated that the show had been canceled, but La Traverse insisted it had not and that CTV actually wanted to keep Flashpoint going. And it’s no wonder, given that it won 11 Gemini Awards, including best drama series, best writing, best direction and best actor. But La Traverse knew ending on Season 5 was for the best, saying, “Every creative producer knows in their heart of hearts, in their gut, when it’s time to end a series on the creative level. And we’ve been talking about this for a very, very long time, Bill and I, and we really felt that this was the right moment to do it.”
Though some fans were surely saddened to see Flashpoint go, La Traverse and Mustos made the right call. It’s incredibly disappointing when any series drags on too long and loses what makes it special. But Flashpoint‘s creators delivered a finale that they felt fit the show, giving fans a satisfying ending.
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