Fans are still reeling from A&E's decision to cancel Longmire and even those behind the scenes admit that the network's original reasoning didn't really hold up. 

Cast Supports Fan Petition To Save 'Longmire' 

"To be honest, it's been kind of funny," noted novelist Craig Johnson to K2 Radio on Wednesday.

Johnson is the author of the popular book series on which the crime drama is based. He's developed a strong relationship with both the cast and the viewers of the A&E program, hosting Q&A's and embracing the fan community.

A&E Star Writes Introduction For 'Longmire' Book 

Following the show's cancellation, A&E claimed that Longmire did not rate as highly amount the ideal marketing demographic, stating that viewers were simply too old.

"The storm that hit them [A&E], from people older than 49, was truly a tsunami of anger," said the writer, adding that the drama's "older" fan base has more disposable income than any other age group in the country.

After receiving a lot of negative press for the "too old" argument, A&E revised their reasoning by claiming that it was a matter of ownership. Warner Brothers has produced the series over the last three seasons, making money off the licensing of it to A&E.

"They wanted to own the show…" explained Johnson. "A&E said if you don't sell it to us, we're going to cancel it. So Warner Brothers said, well that's fine, you do what you need to do. So A&E cancelled the show."

Two months later and producers are still shopping the show around with other networks. If Longmire does manage to find a new home, it will likely return for a fourth season during the second half of 2015.

Tags: Longmire a&e