Sad news for one of Ireland's most successful entertainment exports.
Red Rock was something of an anomoly in terms of Irish television.
For whatever reason, while we've succeeded hugely in getting global recognition for our cinematic output, we have yet to really have a breakout hit for the small screens.
Sure, Love/Hate had a small international following, and Mrs. Browns' Boys is loved by some, but Red Rock was actually picked up by Amazon Prime and BBC, and has had a million-strong fan-base in the UK and online.
However, here in Ireland, the show struggles to get passed 200,000 viewers a week, and compared to the big numbers that it's main rival Fair City puts up, that may be the primary reason why TV3 have announced a hiatus on Red Rock.
The programme was due to return to Irish screens this September as part of TV3's new season, but the 23 episodes have now been pushed back to 2018, and the production has been told to vacate the set at the old John Player factory in Dublin, as the lease has run out and the site has been marked for redevelopment.
TV3 have put €11 million into the show since it started back in January 2015, but now the director of programming at the station has stated that while they are considering future options for the show, it's future will depend on the ratings of the new episodes next year, as well as whether or not Red Rock remains in line with the current market trends.
