Why Mr. Robot Just Got Cancelled

For as critically acclaimed as Mr. Robot was/is, it was surprisingly never a ratings powerhouse. Its first season was the show's most-watched, with each season after that pulling in less and less viewers. It even got to a point where posts were popping up on the shows subreddit and across the internet fearing cancellation because of the decrease in ratings.

The first season averaged around 1.3 million viewers throughout the season while the third season saw a decline to an average of about 500,000 viewers. Of course, this doesn't take into account the amount of people who illegally watched the show or streamed it after the fact. But these are the numbers executives look at, and that's what's important.

While the decline in viewership is very apparent, it's hard to say whether or not it played a part in the show's end. As stated previously, Esmail knew when he wanted the show to stop and that time is now. Not to mention USA went all-in on Mr. Robot, as it was responsible for the network's first Emmy nomination in the drama category, of which it ultimately won.

This all-in attitude was all the more apparent during Season Three which featured limited commercial breaks and uncensored broadcasts in the United States, something almost unheard of on prime-time network television. A decision that was entirely in the hands of the USA Network, as the FCC doesn't regulate cable channels.

There's no denying viewership was hurting, and had season four not been announced as the end of Mr. Robot, who's to know if it even would have made it to a fifth season.