MovieChat Forums > Enemy at the Door (1978) Discussion > Why no Season 3?

Why no Season 3?

posted 16 years ago by crittercat
7 replies | jump to latest

Does anyone know why no third season of this series was produced? It feels so truncated, ending as it does with the death of a principal character and with the Islands still in German hands and the war nowhere near over.

After the D-Day landings, things became very tight for both Islanders and German troops. It seems as though it would offer an excellent set of dramatic possibilities.

Is it, perhaps, that P.M. Churchill opted to not retake the islands and, in his words, let the enemy "rot" there without food and other materiel? Which meant, of course, that the resident population was left to "rot" with them.

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[–] silverclover-1 16 years ago

I believe a decision was made that the privations the Channel Islands suffered would have proved difficult to cover dramatically within the constraints of a pre-watershed broadcasting slot that the series had enjoyed. Indeed there was no military liberation post the invasion of the Continent by the Allies on D-Day .. so it became a huge issues of attrition right until the end of the war when the surrender was taken.

The rating were healthy enough during the second season, so it was certainly popular enough to have had a third run.

It's also possible there was a change in management at LWT post the second series and the new "people in power" decided they wanted to spend money elsewhere and move onto other drama projects.

[–] GarryQ 14 years ago

A third series would have involved major character changes too. Simon Cadell (reinicke) was already in Hi-di-hi, and Simon Lack (Major Friedel) died in August 1980

[–] !!!deleted!!! (41638798) 12 years ago

Just started this great series, after having located it on Netflix.

But am dismayed to see this great series suffered the same fate as the loose remake "Island at War."

Can NO ONE in television production manage to finish the Second World War before "cancelling" it?

Good grief, two fantastic series that never were able to take us through to the end and liberation. Isn't that the finale that everybody wished to see? The islanders getting their freedom back and the Germans (especially the evil ones) being marched off as prisoners?

So that's two strikes on island war time. Anybody for a third? Anybody out there at ITV? BBC? Channel4?

[–] croak-1 12 years ago

I agree wholeheartedly. They should have at least shown us Reinecke being shot or something.

I don't necessarily need a "happy ending", but I'd at least like to see *some* conclusion!

They leave you wondering about so many things. How very tacky of them to have done that!

[–] brux (14840) 6 years ago

It is quite likely, I'm just guessing of course, but that the German
officers both survived the war and in terms of the crimes of the rest
of the Third Reich I would imagine they were not punished.

I think leaving us wondering and wanting to find out more is the best
that could be achieved with this series. It is so miserable of a story
that it is enough to be memorialized the way it was.

I am glad to have found this series on Amazon and feel lucky to have
been able to watch it for free on Amazon Prime.

[–] brux (14840) 6 years ago

What more would they have to show ... it would just be too depressing,
and indeed I think that is what was meant by the arc of the Peter
Portius character.

One wonders also what happened to Clare and Doctor Martell.

Also I wondered about the young lady, the jerrybag, and her son Eric,
if she ever got to see them again, or have the boy returned, or if she
would want to. And this was merely fiction.

This series was absolutely perfect and brilliant in saying enough, but not
to much. If it was done today and in Hpllywood it would be like Hogan's
Heroes or something as disgusting.

I take this series as a memorial to the occupation of the Channel Islands
that tried to catch the general history and feeling without being too
entertaining or heavy-handed.

There is a bit written about this on Wikipedia.

[–] brux (14840) 6 years ago

I know your comment is 10 years old, but I liked this series so much
that I will reply anyway! ;-)

From the little reading that I have done, on Wikipedia and the web, the
story does not get any better.

The death of Peter Portius is a "portent" of what was to come.

As you say the islands were not bothered with militarily, and it seems
more than likely that the administration of the island was not as good
as that portrayed under Richter.

The series to me seems to show the whole progression of conquest and
genocide. It seemed clear that whatever the Germans original said or
intended the end result would have been to just let the islanders and
everyone else be exploited, starve, die or be murdered.

The Germans were not quite as clever and advanced as the Republicans
of the USA are, but the game and the lies are the same.