Cancellation Watch: Status updates for the sci fi and fantasy shows on the broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services as well as breaking news on the currently airing, returning, and upcoming genre entries.
Status Updates
Blood of Zeus (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This animated fantasy series crept into the lower rungs of the Netflix Top 10 in its second week of release, placing at Number 10 with 7.4 million hours watched across 1.8 million accounts. Those numbers are not bad for an animated series, especially considering the lack of promotion, and this one may be allowed to continue to a third season.
Fallout (Amazon, Status: Renewed): This post-apocalyptic series held fast at the Number 1 slot in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for a second week in a row, pulling in an estimated 2.6 billion minutes of viewing. That makes it the first non-Netflix series to post over 2 billion minutes of viewing in the Nielsen rankings for two consecutive weeks, and not surprisingly this show has already been renewed for a second season.
Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama got off to a decent start a few weeks ago, but it quickly slid out of the Netflix Top 10 after only a three-week run. That suggests it may not have achieved the completion rate that Netflix execs are looking for which tracks the number of viewers that watched the current season all the way through. Its connections to the Sandman series may keep it going, but fans should definitely make some noise on the social networks to bring this show more attention.
Sugar (Apple TV+, Status: Renewal Possible): This mystery series with sci fi elements has not placed in the Nielsen streaming rankings so far, but that is not uncommon for Apple TV+ originals. The showrunners do have plans for a second season and the show has started to develop some buzz, so perhaps the streamer will allow it to continue. But it is another one that could use some support from fans on the social networks.
3 Body Problem (Netflix, Status: Renewed): This series received a renewal from Netflix this past weekend, but it was not clear how many seasons that would cover. The announcement claimed that it would give the show the chance to “finish the story”, but did not guarantee the four seasons the showrunners wanted. David Benioff and Dan Weiss have since said that “we have what we need to get to the end as intended” and that “we have enough time to tell the rest of the story the way we want to” though they have not confirmed the number of seasons. My guess at this point is that it will be three seasons, though potentially with extended episode counts and/or lengths.
You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.
Cancellation/Renewal Score:
As mentioned above, Netflix has given a renewal to 3 Body Problem which brings the score for the current season to 25 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (38% of shows tracked) vs. 15 cancelled and ending (23%). Below are this season’s numbers, and you can see the list of shows and keep up with the score throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.
| Show Count | 65 | ||
| Cancelled | 9 | 13.8% | |
| Ending | 6 | 9.2% | 23.1% |
| Renewed | 25 | 38.5% | |
| On the Bubble | 4 | 6.2% | |
| Renewal Possible | 21 | 32.3% | |
| Mini-Series | 6 |
Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV
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.
