"Deep State" has not been canceled, but Mark Strong has.

It's become something of a trend among prestige dramas to write out their seemingly unkillable main characters (see, for example, "True Detective," "Fargo" and, of course, "Game of Thrones"). Nonetheless, it still came as a surprise to fans when [slight spoiler alert] Mark Strong's character seemed to have been written off at the end of "Deep State" Season 1.

Strong was unquestionably the star of the show, and so many thought that the writers would find a way to bring him back in Season 2. But that season came and went without him.

His spot was filled by another critically beloved character actor, Walton Goggins, who played a very different character but brought the same gravitas and star power that Strong offered.

The second season finished in the summer, but there's been no word yet on a third. There's every reason to be hopeful, though. The producers still have time to make the decision before they blow any kind of deadline, and in fact there aren't any real deadlines, because the show's British.

"Deep State" airs on Epix in North America, but it's actually produced in Britain, and their networks don't follow the same strict seasonal schedule that North American ones do (though our premium cable and streaming services are increasingly taking up the European laissez-faire attitude).

It's stuck to a schedule so far, with both seasons premiering on Epix in April, but that could change. And anyway, April's a long way away.

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