Report: ‘Sarah Palin’s Alaska’ Not Renewed for a Second Season

TLC may not renew the hit reality show 'Sarah Palin's Alaska' for a second season despite it being a ratings juggernaut for the channel.

EW reports that Sunday's finale will be the last episode aired of the reality series, which averaged 3.2 million viewers per week. The first episode of the show set a ratings record for TLC, gathering a reported 5 million viewers.

TLC has not yet given a reason as to why it may not air a second season. A source close to the show told PEOPLE that the show "was always planned as a special event, and beyond that there have been no discussions or decisions."

The Daily Mail is saying that another reason for the show not coming back is the possibility of Palin running for president in 2012. If she does decide to campaign for the post, she would need to show her commitment to winning the elections rather than spending her time filming the reality show.

The news comes as a surprise since an insider told PopEater's own Rob Shuter that Palin had started talking about a new deal for the reality show.

"Sarah knows to strike when the iron is hot and started talking about season two right after the show debuted to huge numbers. She knows that celebrities get millions of dollar for each episode of their shows and thinks she's worth it, too. Jennifer Aniston took home millions from 'Friends,' and in Sarah's eyes, she's no different."

Palin reportedly made more than $250,000 per episode for the eight-week series.

The highly controversial show had PETA up in arms in response to an episode where Palin shot and killed a caribou. Palin responded by saying that it was a common way to collect food for the cold months. She said, "Hunting is something most Alaskans do to fill their freezer with meat for the winter."

Palin even tweeted, "Unless you've never worn leather shoes, sat upon a leather chair or eaten meat, save your condemnation of tonight's episode."

Aaron Sorkin, the acclaimed screenwriter of 'The West Wing' and 'The Social Network', wrote in The Huffington Post, "You weren't killing that animal for food or shelter or even fashion. You were killing it for fun. You enjoy killing animals."

Sorkin went on to criticize the former governor's motivation behind the segment, calling the animal "the first moose ever murdered for political gain."

"You knew there'd be a protest from PETA and you knew that would be an opportunity to hate on some people, you witless bully."