‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’ Cancelled

Starz has done what the Deadites could not: brought an end to Ash Williams’s war on the undead.

Ash vs. the Evil Dead will wrap up its third season on April 29 and will not be back next year, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, a follow-up to Sam Raimi’s cult-favorite Evil Dead movie franchise, starred Bruce Campbell as Ash, reprising the role that made him a horror icon.

“Ash vs. Evil Dead has been the ride of a lifetime,” Campbell said. “Ash Williams was the role of a lifetime. It was an honor to reunite with Evil Dead partners Rob Tapert and Sam Raimi to give our tireless fans another taste of the outrageous horror/comedy they demanded. I will always be grateful to Starz for the opportunity to revisit the franchise that launched our careers.”

The finale, titled “The Mettle of Man,” sees Ash squaring off against a sixty-foot Kandarian demon while Elk Grove undergoes a major battle that takes place on the streets. Along the way, Ash gets to go out in style: he rides high in a military tank, speeding across shaky, post-apocalyptic Elk Grove.

Last month, franchise star Campbell said that he was “done” with the franchise if the series ended, which suggests that he may finally be hanging up his chainsaw for good after almost forty years of playing the character in various media.

“No, no, no. Because if they cancel it, I think Ash is done,” Campbell revealed at the Irish Film Institute when asked if he’d star in another Evil Dead film. “I have lavender on my property. I’m going to smoke weed and hang out.”

Of course, fans will likely begin to lobby for more from Campbell…if only because it would be kind of great to see him return in 20 years or so and play an Ash as old as his Elvis Presley in Bubba Ho-Tep.

The series is the second to be cancelled at Starz recently, following Survivor’s Remorse. The network will introduce two new shows next season, Sweetbitter and Vida. One of Starz’s biggest hits, the Neil Gaiman adaptation American Gods, has undergone a number of changes as showrunner Bryan Fuller left, followed by Gillian Anderson.

Ash vs. Evil Dead airs on Sunday nights at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.