Why Royal Pains was canceled after season 8 (and didn't have a season 9)

If there's one show that's the epitome of the USA Network's "blue sky" era, it's definitely Royal Pains. The medical dramedy made its premiere in the summer of 2009 and helped further set the tone of the cable network at the time, which also produced the likes of Psych, Suits, White Collar, and more.

Royal Pains made its return to Netflix in January 2024. All eight seasons of the series came back to the streamer as it looks to further flesh out its ranks with more acquired content. Monk, Sex and the City, Lost, and more high-profile shows will be among those being binge-watched on Netflix throughout 2024, leading viewers to wonder why these great shows came to an end.

After eight seasons and 104 episodes, Royal Pains ended in July 2016 and seemingly big farewell to the network's entire blue sky era, too. So, what was behind the reason for the show's cancellation? Did it have to do with ratings or was it a natural end? Here's what's been said about the decision for the show ending before season 9.

The probable reasons Royal Pains ended

If there's one thing that likely caused Royal Pains to end after season 8, it's the USA Network's creative overhaul into darker programming. As explained by The Hollywood Reporter, the cable network shifted its focus from the lighter, procedural fare that helped it flourish in the 2000s and early 2010s to the gritty likes of Mr. Robot.

The Emmy Award-winning series debuted in 2015 and saw the network push further into that post-Peak TV era lane to grab hold of a different (and perhaps younger) audience and demographic. Naturally, that strategy only worked for so long since all trends are cyclical. But the cancellation of Royal Pains had nothing to do with ratings or any fault of its own.

During its time on the network, the medical dramedy maintained an impressive viewership and produced over 100 episodes. Sometimes shows just come to a natural end after that many episodes. And when shows are on a cable network that doesn't produce as many shows as a broadcast network, a show that doesn't fit into the new guard can stick out like a sore thumb.

In November 2014, USA renewed Royal Pains for two more seasons, seasons 7 and 8, which would ultimately be the final two seasons of the series. While the previous seasons had higher episode counts, the network only picked up eight episodes for both seasons. That's often a tell in the television industry that a series is either winding down or over.

With the two-season order and reduced episode counts in mind, executive producer Michael Rauch told The Hollywood Reporter that when the seasons were filmed back-to-back, they planned ahead under the mindset that these could be the last seasons. USA later announced in March 2016 that the series would be ending with its eighth season.

Here's the statement made by creator Andrew Lenchewski and executive producer Michael Rauch, who acted as showrunners on the series, following the cancellation announcement:

"It’s with great sadness, but even greater thankfulness, that we prepare for our final summer sunsets as Royal Pains comes to an end. We couldn’t have imagined a more talented and dedicated writers’ room, cast, or crew, and we couldn’t have asked for better partners than USA Network and Universal Cable Productions."

- Andrew Lenchewski and Michael Rauch

Ahead of the series finale, the series' top creatives spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about the show's legacy and more behind-the-scenes details about its production over the years. They reflected on the obvious tonal change of the network, wondering if they would be edged out. The sixth season finale also acted as a makeshift series finale just in case.

Past network-mates Monk and Psych both ended after eight seasons, the most of a USA Network original. (Suits later ended after nine seasons in 2019.) In their discussion with THR, the creator expressed that, "If we’re lucky enough to get to eight, let’s make that our goal and push toward it as hard as we can." And that's exactly what they did! It's rather rare these days for a show to last that long and have the luxury of knowing to build toward an ending.

While fans would have loved if the show continued with season 9 and even beyond, this fan included, we're so thankful to have gotten over 100 episodes out of a show that's such a joy and comfort to watch. Maybe someday the USA Network will get back into its blue sky era (wink, wink, USA!) and that could include a return trip to the Hamptons with the HankMed crew. We wouldn't say no, and we definitely won't say no to reliving every moment all over again on Netflix.

All eight seasons of Royal Pains are currently available to watch on Netflix.