Will 'Revenge' end this season? ABC boss weighs in

Dancing With the Stars type TV Show network ABC genre Reality

Though it seems like Revenge is inching closer to concluding its story, ABC boss Paul Lee told reporters at the Television Critics Association’s winter TV previews that the series is still going strong.

“I really love the show,” he said. “We’ll see where we go with it. They have some great storylines coming up this year. There are ways to reinvent it, too.”

Once a ratings hit for the network, Revenge has fallen far from it series debut, which drew 10 million viewers. Its latest episode only brought in 4 million viewers. (Most of those same viewers insisted that Emily Thorne does not have to die when the series ends.)

In that same vein, Lee seemed optimistic when it comes to Nashville’s future, noting that the series has a hand in the rise of tourism in Tennessee. “We’re loving Nashville,” he said. “We’re going to have some great announcements about people who are going to appear on Nashville. That is such a beloved brand around the world and it’s a great brand for us, so we love that show.”

Lee was much more definitive when it came to the future of Castle, though he didn’t officially announce a renewal. “We want to see Castle on the air for many years to come,” he said.

In other ABC news, Lee revealed that the network is planning to take a True Detective route when it comes to new series American Crime—a racially charged and topical crime drama starring Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton—and Secrets & Lies. Both dramas could return for a second season with brand new crimes and some of their core characters, particularly Juliette Lewis, who portrays the detective at the center of Lies opposite Ryan Phillippe.

Dancing with the Stars will return Monday, March 16. As recently announced, Derek Hough will not be among the pros competing in season 20. Speaking of reality, Lee insisted The Bachelor would see more diversity after Juan Pablo Galavis’ season was followed by Chris Soules. “You are going to see diversity as we go through that,” he said. “I’m sure many of the future guys are going to be [more diverse].”

Also launching the week of March 16, Jimmy Kimmel Live will return to Austin for SXSW for five shows filmed on location.

–James Hibberd contributed to this post

UPDATES: