Mid-Season kicks off with the arrival of January 2021, and many of the shows that were delayed from a Fall start will be returning over the next month or so (I preview the upcoming schedule at this link). There have not been too many cancellations so far (more on that at this link), but there were not that many sci fi and fantasy offerings during Fall 2020. With more shows on the way during the second half of the season, I take a look below at the prospects of those currently on the schedule to see if they will be facing cancellation or renewal in the current year. And be sure to follow our Cancellation Watch posts throughout the rest of the season for the latest ratings results and status updates.
American Gods (Starz, Returning for 3rd Season): The ratings for this show dropped notably in its second season, and it has been almost two years since it last aired a new episode. Its third season has not been announced as its last, but it should wrap up the story from the book this year, and that could be it for this show. Cancel/Renewal Status: On the Bubble
American Horror Story (FX, Returning for 10th Season): This season-long horror anthology is already one of the ten longest-running sci fi/fantasy shows of all-time and it has been renewed through its thirteenth season, which will move it higher on that list. Whether it continues beyond that remains to be seen. Cancel/Renewal Status: Already Renewed
Batwoman (CW, Retuning for 2nd Season): The CW tends to renew its shows much more often than it cancels them, but this one was not a huge hit in its first season and now has a new actress in the lead role going into its second year. It also appears that the network could be shaking up its Arrow-verse shows (more on that at this link), so the future of Batwoman could be uncertain. Cancel/Renewal Status: Toss Up
Black Lightning (CW, Retuning for 4th and Final Season): This show’s fourth season has been announced as its last as the network appears ready to shake up its Arrow-verse shows. A Painkiller spin-off series is in the works, though. Cancel/Renewal Status: Final Season
Charmed (CW, Retuning for 3rd Season): This supernatural drama has performed well in digital viewing (The CW pays more attention to those stats than the other broadcast networks) and it is entering the “syndication stretch” which means a fourth season will get it to the episode count preferred for an encore run in the syndication market. Expect it to be back for another year if not more. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Likely
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix, Returning for 4th and Final Season): Netflix typically wraps up its originals by their third or fourth season and the streamer announced in advance that this show’s fourth year will be its last even though its showrunners had hoped to keep it going. Whether fans will make a Call to Action on the social networks to get it moved to another venue (like The CW seeing as it started out as a Riverdale spin-off), remains to be seen. Cancel/Renewal Status: Final Season
Creepshow (Shudder, Returning for 2nd Season): This horror anthology was well-received during its first season on the AMC horror-focused streaming service Shudder. Consider it to have a decent chance of sticking around for a third year. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
>ALSO READ: All of the Cancelled and Ending Sci Fi TV Shows from the 2020-21 Season (So Far)
Debris (NBC, New Series): This show is not on NBC’s schedule yet, and if it gets pushed to a late-Spring start, that could hurt its chances of finding much of an audience. I’ll have to wait and see what the network does with this one before I can gauge its status. Cancel/Renewal Status: Too Early to Call
Doctor Who (BBC/BBC America, Returning for 13th season): I don’t expect the longest-running sci fi TV show to be coming to an end any time soon. Should Jodie Whittaker decide to leave the lead role after the thirteenth season, they will replace her with the next incarnation and continue on with the adventures of the Doctor. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Likely
Evil (CBS, Returning for 2nd Season): This supernatural drama pulled only mediocre ratings in its first season, though it did air in the difficult Thursday 10 PM EST timeslot. If its numbers do not drop too much, CBS could keep it going to plug up that low-viewership hour. But the network does have an aversion to genre shows, so it is still possible this one could meet an untimely end. Cancel/Renewal Status: Toss Up
The Expanse (Amazon, Streaming 5th Season): This hold-over from Fall has already been renewed for a sixth season, but that will be its last. Whether fans will make a Call to Action for it to continue on a different venue remains to be seen. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewed for Final Season
The Falcon and Winter Soldier (Disney+, New Series): It is unclear if this is intended as a mini-series, but word is that fellow Disney+ MCU entry Loki (which is set for a May start) will be getting a second season. Whether The Falcon and Winter Soldier will return likely depends on the grand scheme planned for the MCU movies. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
The Flash (CW, Returning for 7th Season): The CW appears to be shaking things up with its Arrow-verse shows, but that should not have an immediate impact on The Flash. I expect this one to be back for at least an 8th season seeing as it has been the highest-rated show on the network, and it could continue beyond that. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Likely
For All Mankind (Apple TV+, Returning for 2nd Season): This show has already been renewed for a third season in advance of its second year premiere. That might be a good point to cap it off, but then Ronald D. Moore might have plans to carry on the story for several more years. Cancel/Renewal Status: Already Renewed
Legacies (CW, Returning for 3rd Season): This show will be back for its third season, but unlike Charmed above, it is not quite in the “syndication stretch” because it has had shorter episode orders. Still, it airs on The CW and it was the network’s highest-rated non-Arrow-verse show last year, so I expect it to get a fourth season nod. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Likely
>ALSO READ: 2020-21 Mid-Season Sci Fi TV Schedule Preview
Legends of Tomorrow (CW, Returning for 6th Season): I’ve been saying for a while that this show could wrap up with its coming sixth season, but there has been no announcement on that yet and The CW rarely ends a show that has gone this long without advanced notice. The Arrow-verse is likely headed to a shake-up, and that could determine this show’s fate. More on that at this link. Cancel/Renewal Status: Toss Up
MacGyver (CBS, Airing 5th Season): The early fifth season numbers have been good for this show so far, and it plugs up an hour on low-viewership Fridays. I expect that it has a good chance of sticking around for a sixth year if its ratings do not drop too much. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
Manifest (NBC, Returning for 3rd Season): The same-day ratings for this show have not been great, but it was typically one of the Top 10 broadcast net shows based on delayed viewing during its first two seasons. The old-school networks pay less attention to those stats, but I expect this one has a decent chance to survive into a fourth season as long as its numbers don’t take a nosedive. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
Nancy Drew (CW, Returning for 2nd Season): The first-year ratings were not great for this supernatural take on the female super sleuth, but then the network currently has a spin-off in the works, so maybe it did much better in digital viewing (The CW pays more attention to those stats than the broadcast nets). A third season is possible unless it tanks in the ratings. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
Pennyworth (EPIX, Airing 2nd Season): Nielsen does not report ratings for EPIX, so it is hard to gauge this show’s status. But this Batman prequel is a high-profile original for the cable network, so I would say it has a chance of returning for a third season. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
Resident Alien (Syfy, New Series): The number of originals on this cable channel have been diminishing and it is notoriously bad at promoting its own shows. Resident Alien should draw some interest since Alan Tudyk is attached, but I am not willing to put any money on the survival of a Syfy show these days. Cancel/Renewal Status: Too Early to Call
Riverdale (CW: Retuning for 5th Season): This show’s numbers have been on the decline, and it will have enough episodes to make it attractive to the syndication market by season end. But The CW has not made a final season announcement on it, so I expect it to stick around for at least a sixth year. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
Roswell New Mexico (CW, Returning for 3rd Season): Like Legacies above, this is another CW show returning for a third season but without enough episodes to get it to the “syndication stretch”. Still, it has done well enough that I believe it has a good shot at a fourth season. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
See (Apple TV+, Returning for 2nd Season): Apple TV+ has given out advance renewals for both Servant and For All Mankind, but has been silent on this one so far. I’m guessing the renewal announcement will come around the time that Season 2 premiere date is announced, as with the other two. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
Servant (Apple TV+, Returning for 2nd Season): This show has been renewed for a third season in advance of its second-year premiere. Executive producer M. Night Shyamalan has plans for this one to go five or six seasons and it may be able to make that mark on this streaming service. Cancel/Renewal Status: Already Renewed
Snowpiercer (TNT, Returning for 2nd Season): The ratings were not great for this one in its first season, and the basic cable channels have struggled of late to compete in the scripted programming arena. If its numbers hold, it could stick around for a third season, but it is too early to make the call. Cancel/Renewal Status: Toss Up
Star Trek Discovery (CBS All Access, Streaming 3rd Season): This show has proven divisive among Trek fans, but the network felt confident enough about it to give it a fourth season renewal. It could stick around another year or two seeing as the streamer appears to be all-in on the Trek franchise at the moment. Cancel/Renewal Status: Already Renewed
Supergirl (CW, Returning for 6th and Final Season): The final season announcement for this show was not a surprise seeing as it is one of the lower-rated Arrow-verse entries and it has more than enough episodes for a syndication run. The CW seems to be on the verge of shaking up its superhero shows which I discuss in more detail at this link. Cancel/Renewal Status: Final Season
Superman & Lois (CW, New Series) This one is hard to gauge because it seems to be delivering less of a superhero series and more of a family drama focusing on Clark, Lois, and their kids. Will Arrow-verse fans buy into that? And will The CW give it time to find an audience or change course if it stumbles out of the gate? The jury is out on this one. Cancel/Renewal Status: Too Early to Call
Two Sentence Horror Stories (CW, Returning for 2nd Season): This one started out as a Summer series designed to plug an hour during the low-viewership months with some sort of scripted programming. It has already been renewed for a third year and could go back to that role after it airs its delayed second season. Cancel/Renewal Status: Already Renewed
Van Helsing (Syfy, Returning for 5th and Final Season): This show ran up against Syfy’s five-season wall, but it was at least given notice in advance that its fifth year will be its last. That gives it the chance to wrap up its storylines. Cancel/Renewal Status: Final Season
The Walking Dead (AMC, Continuing 10th Season): This show was given six additional episodes for its tenth season and then will wrap up with an extended eleventh season. But there is more of The Walking Dead on the way with at least two spin-offs in the works. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewed for Final Season
Wandavision (Disney+, New Series): This is another Disney+ entry that may just be planned as a mini-series or that may continue on for several seasons. Its fate is likely tied to the overall plans with the MCU movies. Cancel/Renewal Status: Renewal Possible
The Watch (BBC America): This new series from BBC America is based on the Terry Pratchett Discworld books and has plenty of source material to pull from. Whether it will stick around long enough to do justice to those fantasy books remains to be seen. Cancel/Renewal Status: Too Early to Call
>Keep up with the sci fi and fantasy TV shows airing each week with our Weekly Listings
Two Sentence Horror Stories has been renewed for a third season already.
Do you have a link to a source confirming the renewal? I have not been able to find anything about it.