Will Whiskey Cavalier’s struggling ratings help Lauren Cohan’s return to The Walking Dead?

Lauren Cohan left the door open for a return to The Walking Dead in season 10, but could Whiskey Cavalier’s ratings pave the way?

The Walking Dead went through a lot of change in season 9, with one of the biggest changes being Lauren Cohan’s exit from the show in episode 905. Cohan left the show to join the cast of Whiskey Cavalier on ABC with an open invitation to return at any time. As network upfronts approach, what happens if Whiskey Cavalier is cancelled?

Upfront season is the time of year that showrunners dread. Shows that have already been renewed are safe, but dozens of freshman shows face uncertain futures as network executives examine ratings, seek out new advertising revenue and pare down current schedules to make way for new pilots. Whiskey Cavalier was the talk of the town in 2018 during upfront season, landing at the top of ABC’s slate of new shows for the 2018-2019 season. However, lackluster ratings could put the show in jeopardy.

Whiskey Cavalier has been steady in the ratings with a 0.6 over the past few weeks. Veteran comedy Modern Family, by contrast, comes in with a 1.2 while Survivor dominates with a 1.5. Empire and The Goldbergs, both at 1.1, prove that Wednesday programming can still be successful with Survivor in the lineup, but of the three networks Whiskey Cavalier ties with SEAL Team with a 0.6 and that’s not where a show wants to be ahead of upfronts.

The challenge for Whiskey Cavalier, which shoots on location in exotic European locales, is that the show is expensive. It has to be, because the concept of secret agents on thrilling missions requires flashy settings. However, ABC isn’t getting the desired bang for its buck and that could spell doom for Whiskey Cavalier.

Should Whiskey Cavalier end up cancelled, this frees up Lauren Cohan to return to The Walking Dead. (Some would say the whole reason she kept the door open for a return was to make sure that her new venture would be successful, which might pay off yet)

It has been no secret that Angela Kang and AMC want Cohan to return, and that was when she might be available for a few episodes. If Cohan finds herself without a show by the end of May, perhaps she will return to The Walking Dead on a more permanent basis. What’s more is that the season 10 story might have to be adapted so that Maggie can be integrated into the plot beyond what writers planned for.

The next few weeks will be critical for Whiskey Cavalier’s future. ABC’s upfronts are scheduled as part of a combined presentation from parent company Disney on May 14. Stay tuned as we follow this story because Maggie’s future in The Walking Dead could be in flux depending on what happens.