Why 'Longmire' got axed despite being A&E's 2nd-ranked show

This photo does a pretty good job of summing up how fans of Longmire feel toward A&E after the network canceled the show recently.

They may be wondering why the series was even on the chopping block in the first place, considering it's the cable network's second-most-watched show behind Duck Dynasty.

The short — and perhaps shortsighted — answer is that its fans skew too old for advertisers.

The median Longmire fan is 60 years old, well outside the 18-49 demographic that we've been told time and again is the only one Madison Avenue cares about.

This Marketplace story calls B.S. on the shopworn theory that older viewers are stuck in their ways and averse to trying new products and services.

Meanwhile, fans can take solace in the knowledge that the show, starring Robert Taylor and Katee Sackoff,  is not dead yet. Deadline.com reports that parent studio Warner Horizon will be shopping the show around immediately in hopes of getting it picked up by another network.