Sci Fi TV Status Report: Talks in Progress on Hannibal S4, Wayward Pines Update, and More

Bryan Fuller In Early Talks On A Fourth Season Of 

NBC cancelled the low-rated but critically acclaimed horror/crime drama Hannibal back in 2015, but showrunner Bryan Fuller has not given up hope on continuing the story into a fourth season. He had previously indicated that nothing could happen for two years after the cancellation due to rights issues, but we are now at that point. And in a recent tweet, he mentioned that talks of a revival have now begun:

Conversations couldn’t start until 2 years after the final airing of season 3. @neoprod has started those conversations. This takes time. –@BryanFuller

According to Fuller, the principal actors are onboard for a revival run, so if he can find a network willing to pick up the show, that fourth season (and possibly more) could happen. Fuller is currently working on the well-received American Gods for Starz, and that premium cable net would be a good landing place for Hannibal because it is not subjected to the same restrictions as the broadcast networks. One of the streaming services might have an interest in the show as well. But for now, fans should know that talks are in progress and that an announcement could be forthcoming over the next few months

A Third Season Of  Is Still A Possibility

FOX’s sci fi/horror series Wayward Pines, developed and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, aired its second season last Summer and has been in limbo since then. At the TCAs earlier this year, FOX entertainment president David Madden indicated that scheduling conflicts kept the third season from happening this Summer. And at the latest round of the TCAs, his comment on whether the show was still alive was simply “We don’t know yet”. But he did indicate that their were still ongoing discussions of a third season:

M. Night has talked to both Dana and me recently about the possibilities of what a third season could be. We are exploring story and casting ideas; we haven’t made any decisions.

Shyamalan is currently developing projects for TNT, but he previously indicated that he wanted Wayward Pines to run for three seasons, so it is still possible that one could be back for at least one more year.

Ratings Results Of Interest:  Sets A New Record

On Sunday, HBO’s Game of Thrones improved to a 5.0 rating rating based on the overnights for the 18-49 demographic with 10.7 million total viewers. That marks another record for that show and its network, and the HBO execs have to be happy at this point that they have multiple sequels/spin-offs for this one in the works once it wraps up with its eighth season.

Last Monday, NBC’s Midnight Texas held steady at a 0.8 based on the demo with 3.1 million total viewers. It remains the highest rated genre entry on the broadcast networks this Summer and has a shot at a second season. On Tuesday, ABC’s Somewhere Betweenslipped back down to a 0.3 rating with 1.4 million total viewers and I am surprised that one has not been booted to Friday or Saturday yet. On Wednesday, CBS’ Salvationremained low at a 0.5 rating with 3.1 million total viewers and it will likely not last beyond its “limited run”. On Thursday, CBS’ Zoo improved slightly to a 0.6 rating with 2.4 million total viewers, but that will likely not be enough to help it at this point.

On the cable nets during the week, Syfy’s Blood Drive slipped to a 0.11 rating with 334K total viewers as that show’s prospects continue to fade. On Thursday on Spike, The Mistimproved slightly to a 0.12 rating with 374K total viewers, but its future remains hazy. On Syfy on Friday, Killjoys improved to a 0.19 rating with 644K total viewers while Dark Matter slipped to a 0.14 rating with 602K total viewers. I believe those two shows’ fates are pretty closely tied, though, and I am thinking that they have a decent chance of returning for a fourth season.

Scorecard:  Shifts Down

Syfy’s Blood Drive dropped seven slots in the Cancellation Watch Scorecard for the week (from Number 37 to Number 44) as that show’s ratings remain in low gear. I have it On the Bubble at the moment, and I believe that its chances of making it across the renewal finish line continue to dwindle. AMC’s Preacher lost two slots as its ratings took a downturn this last week, but I believe that one is still okay. Apart from that, most of the movement on the Scorecard was just incidental and you can see the full rankings here.

Cancelled Too Soon: ‘The Lone Gunmen’ (2001)

FOX knew that The X-Files would have to come to an end at some point (it was in its eighth year during the 2000-01 season) and apparently thought this spin-off focusing on the conspiracy-phobic Lone Gunmen would be a logical way to continue the franchise.X-Files creator Chris Carter was onboard as well as other vets from the original show like Vince Gilligan and Frank Spotnitz. And The Lone Gunmen debuted to good ratings (and decent reviews from critics) when it premiered mid-season in the X-Files’ Sunday 9 PM EST timeslot. But when it got shuffled to the Friday 9 PM EST hour (where the parent show initially became a sleeper hit), its numbers dropped significantly as did the confidence that FOX execs had in its ability to take up the torch for the franchise. Rather than give it more of a chance or rescheduling it to a better timeslot, the network chose to cancel the show by the end of the season. The cliffhanger ending to the show’s season finale did get a resolution of sorts with the X-Files episode “Jump the Shark”, but fans definitely would have liked to have seen more from this spin-off entry.

Read about more cancelled shows in Cancelled Sci Fi TV: 1949 to 2015 – The Ultimate Guide to Cancelled Science Fiction and Fantasy TV Shows

Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci-Fi TV Twitter Site for daily ratings results as well as breaking news and updates.

Author: admin

1 thought on “Sci Fi TV Status Report: Talks in Progress on Hannibal S4, Wayward Pines Update, and More

  1. Glad of that, but you do keep getting ridof great programs, look at ..Haven…town called eureka….originals….grimm..just to name a few….

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