For fans of Syfy’s Continuum left hanging after a positively insane season finale, it’s been one heck of a long summer while we wait for news on a renewal. Now we have an idea about what’s taking so long.

Though it airs on Syfy, Continuum is actually a Canadian show produced by the Showcase network, which is acquired by Syfy as the U.S. distributor to air the series. The creators of the show had previously said news about a renewal (or cancellation) from Showcase would come more than a month ago, but the network is still mum.

The reason it's taken so long, at least according to a Globe and Mail story about the production climate for dramas produced in that corner of Vancouver, Canada? Apparently the series is “in limbo” while talks continue between the studio and Showcase to find a “financial formula” that would allow the series to return for a fourth season. Hey, that’s better news than a cancellation. At least for now.

Producer Simon Barry has been pulling for a renewal, along with a large contingent of fans, with the hashtag #RenewContinuum. The show is awesome and has developed into one of the smartest time-travel series ever to tackle the genre. It’s done a slow boil with its mythos and asks some truly thoughtful questions about what’s right and wrong, and it’s worked to great effect.

For those curious if Syfy might pick up the series itself if Showcase passes, studio exec Ted A’Zary recently noted on Twitter that a new season solely funded by Syfy is extremely unlikely due to the costs that’d be required to go it alone.

A: Probably not – the finances for #Continuum only work for us if someone else is making it and we’re just acquiring the US rights. — Ted A’Zary (@Syfy) September 26, 2014

As one clever Redditor noted, if the series doesn’t return, it’s probably because Kiera and company screwed the timeline up so much that we now live in a reality where the show doesn’t exist. Funny, yes, but here’s hoping that’s not the case.

(Via Reddit, The Globe and Mail)