Will We See The Resident Season 7? Here's What We Know
"The Resident" season 6 ended its relatively short run back in January, but Fox waited a long time to weigh in on the fate of the long-running series. At long last, it has been confirmed that this is the end for Conrad Hawkins and the rest of the staff at Chastain Memorial Hospital. Yes, sad to say for fans of the show, it will not be returning for a seventh season, so the season 6 finale will ultimately serve as the series finale.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox has officially canceled the medical show after six full seasons and 107 episodes. The series was produced by 20th Century Television and was created by Amy Holden Jones, Hayley Schore, and Roshan Sethi. It's worth pointing out that "The Resident" season 6 was the shortest in the show's history at just 13 episodes, and that may have, in hindsight, been a bit of writing on the wall. Fox did, however, renew "The Simpsons," "Bob's Burgers," and "Family Guy" for two more seasons each earlier this year.
The series shines a light on the daily heroism of our healthcare workers. The medical drama follows the doctors and nurses at Chastain Memorial Hospital as they face personal and professional challenges and fight for their patients' health. The ensemble cast includes Matt Czuchry, Emily VanCamp, Bruce Greenwood, Manish Dayal, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Jane Leeves, and Morris Chestnut.
Why was The Resident canceled?
Fans may be wondering why "The Resident" season 7 isn't happening. So, why did Fox cancel the show? While no official reason has been given, there are several factors that likely contributed. For one, most shows are not running this long in the streaming era, with 100-episode runs increasingly becoming a thing of the past. While it's certainly more common on network television, it's still a relic of a bygone era in many ways, and it's likely we're going to see more shows fall short of that 100-episode mark that used to be key for syndication. It's the way of the future.
Another consideration to make is that the ratings were down in season 6. At the time of "The Resident" season 4, Fox said the show was averaging 10 million viewers per episode, accounting for various platforms such as live and streaming. By season 6, that number was down to 6.9 million viewers. When considering that the cast may have been due for a raise in season 7 with declining ratings, the math doesn't quite add up.
Lastly, Disney acquired most of Fox's media assets in 2019 in a massive deal valued at more than $70 billion. Since then, the Fox network has been making an effort to own or have a stake in the shows it airs. "The Resident" didn't fit the bill and it's very possible – if not likely – that wanting to lean into shows owned by Fox factored into the decision as well. All of these reasons converged to make a renewal for the once-hit drama all but impossible.
For those who wish to catch up on the show, "The Resident" is streaming on Hulu.