of 2.02 million. For BBC2, primetime shows normally require an average audience of at least 1.75 million to be recommissioned. Producers commented that they were upset to see the show cancelled, as they had plans for a third series. On 18 April 2018, The Hour writer Abi Morgan revealed in an interview with RadioTimes that she was trying to resurrect the series for a third series in 1960's London. The Hour's Executive producer Jane Featherstone also said that she would be keen to revive the show. Reception Critical reception of the first episode was mixed, with Sam Wollaston of The Guardian expressing scepticism over a popular comparison with Mad Men, calling the episode a "slower starter" and "a bit of hotchpotch – Drop the Dead Donkey meets Spooks", but overall stating that "there's enough intrigue there to whet the appetite for more". However, AA Gill in The Sunday Times called it " guff" with "a script that would shame a Bruce Willis movie", and Michael Deacon of The Telegraph criticised it as "an exercise in upbraiding the past for failing to live up to the politically correct ideals of the 21st century", although he praised Morgan's writing and concluded by stating "I wouldn't want to give up on The Hour too soon". Even so, there were some criticisms of the script as being riddled with anachronisms, with the show's writer Abi Morgan admitting some lines "haven't worked". The show was well received in its American premiere on BBC America, receiving an 81 on Metacritic, indicating "Universal Acclaim". Reviewing it for The New Yorker magazine, Nancy Franklin wrote that it is "almost absurdly gratifying. With its casting, its look, its unfolding mysteries, its attention to important historical events, its sexiness, The Hour hits every pleasure center." In the full printed version of the same article, she adds "[It is] as if it were a space containing chocolate, gold, a book you've always wanted to read, your favorite music, and the love of your life, who desires you unceasingly." Mary McNamara in the Los Angeles Times writes that the second season "improves its already stellar cast and grows in sophistication", and notes that, during its first season, "critics were divided – mostly by the Atlantic." Alyssa Rosenberg wrote in The Atlantic: "The Hour is not the British Mad Men: it's better." Founder member of ITN Lynne Reid Banks criticised the series for