Another day, another cancellation (the third this week so far) and the Batman prequel series Pennyworth is the latest to fall, getting the axe after three seasons. That show originally aired on EPIX which is not covered by the Nielsen ratings, so we don’t have the viewership numbers for its first two seasons. It then moved over to HBO Max (taking on the subtitle The Origin of Batman’s Butler) where it failed to crack into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings in its third year. The show never seemed to develop much of a following, but apparently it had enough of an audience to keep it going for three years.
The cancellation does not come as a huge surprise seeing as the onscreen DC Universe is going through big changes with James Gunn and Peter Safran. They just announced development projects for the coming years and future seasons of Pennyworth were not included in that. HBO Max’s Titans and Doom Patrol will also be coming to an end and The CW’s Superman & Lois could be on the way out after another year or two as well meaning that it will be mostly new DC-related properties on television and in the movies going forward.
This move bumps up the cancelled/ending shows for the current season to 25 (40% of shows tracked) vs. 21 renewals (33%). Peak TV is definitely starting to succumb to the years of overproduction, and I expect more shows to fall in the coming months. You can keep up with the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.
Pennyworth follows a younger Alfred Pennyworth who runs a security company and who teams up with American agents Thomas Wayne and Martha Kane against a group trying to take over the British government. It stars Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Ryan Fletcher, and Dorothy Atkinson.
The new year has just begun with more cancellations and renewals on the way, so be sure to stay tuned to this site for news and updates. You can see the status of all the currently airing and returning sci fi and fantasy shows on our Cancellation Watch Page. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
