On Combat Hospital, war was hell, and at $2 million an episode, apparently too expensive a medical war zone drama to finance as an 80/20 Canada-UK coproduction after ABC bowed out earlier this year.

The result is Playback’s Canadian copro of 2011 from Sienna Films has been cancelled by Global Television after one season, a Shaw Media spokesman confirmed Monday.

Sony Pictures Television was shopping the medical drama worldwide, but was unable to find a major international coproduction partner for Global Television to help absorb second season production costs, especially in Britain.

So Combat Hospital will not repeat what Shaftesbury Films’ The Listener achieved after NBC bowed out early and yet CTV went forward with a sophomore season, and now on a third, on the strength of the Fox International Channels’ distribution overseas.

The loss of Combat Hospital means medical drama fans may well shift to another upcoming homegrown drama, CTV’s Saving Hope from Rookie Blue creator Ilana Frank.

Frank and executives at Entertainment One, which is shopping Saving Hope outside of Canada, recently pitched the medical drama to U.S. networks and cable channels in Los Angeles.

Frank’s Canadian cop drama Rookie Blue is set for a third season on ABC and Global Television.