Diane Mountains, Alaska
“Sarah Palin’s Alaska” concluded its tenure with a two-hour finale on Sunday according to TLC. The network confirmed that “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” would not return for a second season.
No specific details have been released regarding the cancellation of the reality tv show. However, a spokesperson for TLC, Laurie Goldberg, released a statement saying the scheduling of the documentary from the beginning was “for a single season only”. Although many reviews were not in favor of the show, “Sarah Palin’s Alaska”, garnered about 3.2 million viewers weekly, which usually warrants a second season.
The premise of the reality show involved TLC trekking the Palin family over an eight-week period documenting the Alaskan frontier from Palin’s point of view. Prior to airing the show, TLC released advertisements for the show saying, “Along with Alaska’s great wilderness, the Palins encounter Alaska’s fascinating residents and share what it takes to thrive in the country’s largest state.”
The first episode drew more than 5 million viewers. Over the following eight weeks, ratings dropped and Palin’s love of hunting sparked a heated controversy. Animal rights activists and animal lovers alike were outraged during an episode where Palin killed a moose on a hunting trip. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin expressed his sentiments to the Huffington Posts regarding Palin’s pastime, “I don’t watch snuff films and you make them. You weren’t killing that animal for food or shelter or even fashion, you were killing it for fun. You enjoy killing animals.”
Still a potential candidate for the presidency in 2012, Palin received nearly $1 million plus per episode according to People.com. Some speculate that her potential candidacy in 2012 is the reason for the cancellation of her show. One theory is that if TLC renewed the show, the network would have to give equal airtime to her opponents. The other theory is that the American people may not take her seriously if she continues the show a second season.