Why was Gunsmoke cancelled?

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The Gunsmoke cast discovered that their show was cancelled in the trades

"We didn't do a final, wrap-up show."

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Originally Posted by James28

I want to ask this right now: What if Gunsmoke had stayed cancelled after season 12? That would have meant Gilligan's Island sticking around for another couple of seasons. After that, there would have to be a sitcom that ran on CBS between 1969 and 1975. Plus, would the Rural Purge be any different with Gunsmoke gone?

TV's Longest-Running Western Was Almost Canceled - But This Iconic Sitcom Bit The Bullet Instead

There was a time when Gunsmoke was almost cancelled earlier than anticipated, but an iconic sitcom ended up being the one to get the axe instead.