East New York Finale Recap: Did Cancelled CBS Drama End With Any Cliffhangers? — Grade the Season
East New York aired its finale this Sunday night, six days after CBS cancelled the freshman cop drama. Were viewers left with any cliffhangers that might never be resolved, if the show fails to find a new home?
The episode “Ruskin Roulette” picked up the morning after the shooting at the titular project that Quinlan calls home. Two were killed, including drug dealer Orlando, and another two were wounded: hoodlum Dwayne (who took a bullet in the arm), and Lorenzo’s daughter Ingrid (shot in a leg).
Both Haywood and Suarez surveyed the crime scene as well as its larger ramifications, given that Quinlan knew that the early suspect, Tyson, was on parole and staying at Ruskin with his aunt, Thora — and it’s a big no-no for someone with such a record to be living in public housing. Haywood thus put Quinlan on notice that depending how this investigation shakes out, it might be very bad for the both of them.
Haywood then got an earful upon returning to her office, where Chief Donaldson and Inspector Rojas were laying in wait. After they left, Suarez advised Haywood to pull Quinlan out of Ruskin Gardens, have her people write up more quality-of-life crimes violations, and keep her mouth shut. The two then proceeded to get into it a bit, with PC candidate Suarez at one point crossing a line by saying that Haywood couldn’t identity with being an “ambitious male” like him, Donaldson and Deputy Mayor Sharpe.
Things looked bad for Quinlan when gunshot victim Dwayne ID’d Tyson as the shooter. When the team scooped up Tyson, his claim of innocence seemed legit, but Haywood knew that anyone would see his record and side with Dwayne’s testimony. But then Quinlan got a tip about a janitor’s closet that’s used as a holding room for a shared gun, and sure enough, the one found hidden in a mop bucket matched the one used in the shootings. They then tracked down a guy who was seen on a security cam making a beeline for that closet at the time of the shooting, and he said he was simply doing the legwork for Dwayne, who was the actual shooter and had himself shot in the arm afterward to look like a victim.
Haywood led a team to find and arrest Dwayne, and that led to a small chase/firefight in which one ESU officer got shot — after which Bentley took down Dwayne, with his first shooting as a rookie cop.
Quinlan wound up in the clear, since her residency at Ruskin and her judgements made had nothing to do with the actual nature of the shooting. (Anne-Marie was none too thrilled about having to move her daughter back into the project!) Haywood was confronted back at the precinct by Donaldson, Rojas and Deputy Mayor Sharpe, who allowed her a half of a sliver of a win but nonetheless tried to bait her with a promotion to Inspector, in a new, administrative capacity. Haywood saw that for what it was and balked, after which her adversaries sought Suarez’s take — and he said Regina should keep doing what she’s been doing.
Chief Padaro then unexpectedly (and very, from the look on Donaldson’s face!) joined in the discussion, to not only back Haywood’s policies to date, but invite her to expand them to the other precincts under Suarez’s command — and she happily accepted the assignment. Later in Regina’s office, Sharpe barged in to tell Suarez that he just tanked his bid to be PC; instead, Donaldson will get the gig if Sharpe is elected mayor. After, Suarez assured Regina that he had already made peace with that likely outcome, and invited her out for a drink.
Everyone wound up at Goody’s that night. Killian — having been alerted earlier by Morales that the feds were sniffing around Azeroff (and thus him) — told his partner that he couldn’t fly off to Miami with Azeroff, knowing that things were prickly between him and her. (Plus, he had just witnessed Azeroff’s Russian ties up close.) Quinlan asked Bentley how he was doing after his first shooting… and he asked her what she was doing later. (She replied with a wink, “Ask me later.”) The finale then ended, sweetly, with Yenko making a toast, explaining how he years ago had fallen out of love with the job, until he asked to work for Regina. And now he loves it again, words that coaxed more than a few tears from the DI.
What did you think of the East New York finale? Plus, grade Season 1 below.
Shame it has been cancelled. It is a great show with equally great cast.
I thought the show East York was excellent and addressed many of the social issues of today. It had a diverse cast which represented New York City. It was wonderful seeing a black female in charge and making a difference. That is probably one reason for the cancellation!
Stop being a hater, it was the only show not produced by CBS of the new shows. Making it a more expensive show to produce. In a world where network shows are no longer a thing, and streaming is, the networks costs are low. They cannot keep everything on anymore.
Then they should have got rid of swat the only reason they unconcerned it was the guy who is the main character pulled the race card its been on 6 years and getting boring time for it to go!!!!
U are so correct. East new york had plenty of excitement. SWAT guy always is racist. I hope someone picks up east NY.
So agree with you…
I hate SWAT, but EaSt New York is terrific..actors are very good he of course we love Amanda Warren, Dep Inspire Haywood, and Jimmy Smits and Ruben Santiago Hudson..all pros and terrific.
Swat is a good show and I love the show he didn’t pull the race card that’s a lie the fans wanted the show and it’s because of the fans they uncaccelled it.Shamar Moore is a good actor and I like the other actors.The should cancel some of these dumb white shows
Scandal had Kerry Washington as the lead and was on for years so your point is off base. East New York was a good show but apparently not watched by enough to get it renewed.
” It was wonderful seeing a black female in charge and making a difference. That is probably one reason for the cancellation! ”
It is understandable to be unhappy that a show is cancelled, but that’s an absurd assumption to make considering that the show wouldn’t have been picked up in the first place if that was an issue.
I’m sad to see it go. I had invested in the characters and loved the storylines. Too bad !
Love East New York…it was a great show…the networks leaves on these really stupid shows and take some of the good ones off. The Conners, has gone past its expiration, and that show about the three grown siblings is so dumb and the acting is ridiculous
You think CBS has a problem with a black woman lead in a show….. All Rise and now East New York.
I see a trend.
CBS needs to reconsider East New York’s cancellation.
To the cast, well done, excellent show.
I posted something similar below, & I agree. And it’s not just black female leads. Magnum was canceled last year & it was CBS’s only show with a Latino lead. If SWAT would’ve remained canceled, that would’ve been two shows with black leads taken off the network. That’s…disturbing, to say the least.
You guys really don’t understand ratings, do you? If people watched, they’d renew it.
Putting a show on after the games is the kiss of death .. Not advertising the show hurt it ..
If Swat would’ve remained canceled then East New York would’ve been renewed. They already said that! Such a shame! Guess the show was too real!!
Do not bring race into this conversation. The Equalizer is a CBS show with a female black lead and it’s been on for three years and getting a fourth season. All rise was on for two seasons on CBS they gave it a chance but it didn’t pull the numbers at the time.
East New York is one of the most realistic and enjoyable shows on tv. We look forward to seeing the show every week and was so disappointed to learn that the series was cancelled. Not fair especially when there are shows of such lesser quality that are being left alone. CBS should rethink this move!!
I’m very sorry this has been canceled. One of the few shows I enjoyed and loved the characters.
Has anyone else noticed that CBS has a tendency to cancel shows with non-white leads? Oh, and all three new CBS dramas have white leads, don’t they? That’s all I’m sayin’…
The Equalizer, The Neighborhood
and let’s not forget Bob hearts Abishola I have never seen the show but it seems to be a sitcom with a white men falling in love with a black women
You have a serious problem, you want to call a network racist but that is not the case. Mondays has The Neighborhood which has more black characters that are main characters then white, Bob hearts abishola has predominantly black cast. Fridays has Swat which the main character is black. The Equalizer has predominantly black cast, and if you are talking about the three new shows this year that aired we are talking about a show with a black lead. Next year they have Damon Wayne’s in a show with his son. You are irrelevant.
I’m sad to hear that they are cancelling one of the best cop drama tv show.
East New York is one of the best broadcast series in recent years. Stand out. Quality writing. Awesome cast. Strong sense of place. Compelling stories. I am saddened by this cancellation.
We loved East New York. The characters we not flashy types. They conveyed realistic individuals.
I sincerely hope that another network picks this show up because it is unique and not formulaic like so many crime shows. There is so much more producers could do with East New York.
Please bring this show back! It is a great show with a great diverse cast with great storyline that address many of the issues we face today and it’s great to see a female lead. Please stop canceling shows only after one season.
Screw you CBS for canceling such a great show, I will not watch any new show you bring on because everytime I get into a show you cancel it.
Exactly. They get you excited to get into it then they cancel it. I really enjoyed that show and all rise. I really hope they get a second chance elsewhere. Glad they ended on a good note. No cliffhanger. It was sad though. What a cast. What another great show down the drain.
This is the best show on television right now. How about keep East New York and cancel one of the NCIS shows, Im really how many do we need? Very disappointing.
Right. Or FBI’s or CSI’s. There’s so many. They could have cancelled one of them. Oh well. Hope they get a second chance elsewhere.
I would not mind losing FBI: International. East New York is my favorite CBS show except for Blue Bloods. Uncancel it, CBS.
Um, they did cancel one of the NCIS shows. The series finale of NCIS: LA is next week.
Praise be, that show was awful from about Season 9.
One of the best shows on tv. This is must see tv for me on Sundays. I hope Netflix, Apple, Hulu, OWN or anyone else picks it up if CBS doesn’t want it and continues the series. Having Jimmy Smits and Richard Kind, two national and international treasures on one show just does my heart good.
WTF – why is East NewYork being canceled?? This show checks all my boxes, fast action, important subject matter and the characters (actors) all mesh together. Why did Fire Country get renewed? That show is crap, plus the acting sucks!! Their storyline is predictable!!!
Exactly. Glad i am not the only one who thinks fire country is absolutely terrible, the writing, acting, and special effects are awful. cancel that show.
I agree. We love East New York. Fire country is awful. It was OK in the beginning, but drags on and on. The acting I see in school plays is better than in Fire Country. Not saying it couldn’t be better, but the main character Bodie, is a terrible actor. I just say to myself, change the one actor and the others would all look better. He pulls the delivery down. I do hope they reconsider and we get to see a second season of East New York.
I agree fire country is not that interesting love the lead actor in the show but not enough to watch it. I would like to se them bring back East New York even if its just to see the guy who wanted to become mayor soo badly lose and become a little humble
The show was well written. Subject was better than the three FBI programs. I watch very few shows, this was one of the better ones. It’s sad that management didn’t give a better reason for the show’s cancellation.
This was a very very good show sorry it’s been canceled I wish it would stay on I would love to see it next year it has a wonderful cast in my opinion they should bring it back
East New York, one of the best shows on TV,they should consider canceling Fire Country,or one of the NCIS really how many do we need. Please reconsider this show like you did for SWAT.
East New York is an Excellent Police drama, good cast, dealing with today’s crazy world of Politics, drugs, street crimes, gangs, every day police work and trying to keep the citizens, properties, etc safe. Show should not be cancelled.
Love this show!!
This is crazy! I loved this show and looked forward to this show each week. The acting, and writing are great!! This is really exhausting getting hooked on a great show just to have it taken away :(
Tears from 2 of the main characters from the last episode seem genuine as if they realized this was really the end. I know I felt that way. Hope it finds a new home!!!
Yes, please let East New York find a new home on USA network or Lifetime Network on Sunday night in the Same time frame.
Also please let S.w.a.t tv series need to also find a new home for it’s 7 Season to Air or CBS Network needs to bring it back.
SWAT’s cancellation was cancelled. It is coming back for a 13-episode final season next year.
Fantastic show. Please don’t cancel.
This show is one of the best cop dramas I am getting tired of procedural shows everything usually tied in a bow, As well as all characters are believable on ENY I hope the show is picked up by a streaming service or network
Well; I haven’t got enough verified intel to debate some of these possible reasons for CBS to cancel East New York after just one season, but I definitely agree that it was a very entertaining, well-written series with a wonderful cast and engaging story arcs for the characters. One thing I would like to know; but haven’t seen just yet, are the ratings. My understanding mid-season was that they weren’t stellar, but were holding their own. It is very hard for all new shows to get that traction and I don’t believe one season was a fair length of time to determine that adequately. I also think that the “new reality” of streaming may have been a significant factor and that we may need to start getting used to that. I was actually surprised by how much I enjoyed this show. I am a big “The Good Doctor” fan; and since they were running against each other, I happened to turn on East New York when Good Doctor was off for some reason. Well; being from New York I was instantly attracted to the cool footage of that area and by the end of that 1st episode, I liked the story and characters enough to become a regular fan. However; as I said, both shows ran in the same time slot so….. THANK GOODNESS FOR MY DVR. Now; of course, it appears CBS has gone and ruined all that. I didn’t even know tonight was the SERIES finale, I thought maybe it was just for the season. Now that I know; I am very , very disappointed. In fact; the way the episode ended breaks my heart even more. Maybe they knew; but if not, it sure looks like they suspected it was possible. I don’t watch nearly as much TV as I once did. It feels like our choices have been whittled down to a couple of so-so comedies; plus way too many of those spin-off dramas like the 26 different shows with NCIS, FBI, or CSI somewhere in the name. Finally; there’s the reality show juggernaut. Seriously; I don’t care enough to “think anyone can dance,” or see if America’s actually got talent, or can cook in one of Chef Ramsey’s 7000 Michelin winning restaurants on his 12 different cooking shows!!! I don’t even get psyched by the prospect of some obnoxious “survivor” showing us he can outwit, outplay and outlast us!! I don’t care- you’ve already outlasted my interest! I have to wonder how much money the networks are making on reality TV. There’s NO need for highly paid actors or writers and even a $1million dollar grand prize is peanuts compared to some of the other salaries they save. I mean; does anyone know much the original FRIENDS 6, were each making per episode at the end? I’m sorry, just frustrated. I WANT MY EAST NEW YORK BACK!!!
ENY and The Good Doctor run on DIFFERENT nights: Sunday & Monday, respectively. Last prime-time show of their respective nights’ lineups.
I maintain ENY’s ratings were less-than-stellar because nobody (nor their DVRs) could figure out its start time on any given Sunday due to CBS’ various sporting events and awards specials. Long-running shows with established fan bases can survive that, but you don’t do that to a freshman show that has yet to develop an audience. Shemar Moore (SWAT) and Marcia Gay Harden (So Help Me Todd) were longtime stars of previous CBS dramas, so they had leverage that none of ENY’s cast had. Moore’s fans (especially) on social media bullied CBS into bringing back such a juvenile macho violent shoot-em-up piece of junk.