This is the week of the Upfronts when the networks and streaming services present their upcoming schedules to the sponsors. It used to be an important time for the broadcast networks with lavish presentations and high-profile schedule releases, but they have toned those down over the past few years (and CBS and The CW have bowed out from Upfront week altogether) as viewership has been on the decline. And there is not much news of interest for sci fi fans coming from those old school nets since they have mostly shied away from genre programming. But the bigger streaming services are now making presentations during this time, leading to several notable announcements early in the week.
Starting off, Amazon has given a Season 3 renewal to its post-apocalyptic series Fallout, and it has set a December window for the premiere of its second season. That show bowed last Fall and has since pulled in over 100 million viewers according to the streamer which puts it in the Top 3 originals on Prime Video. According to a comment made at the Liverpool Comic-Con by actor Aaron Moten, who plays Maximus, the show is currently set to run for five or six seasons:
When I signed on to do the series, we would have a starting point, and they gave me the end point. That endpoint hasn’t changed, but it is season five, season six, type of endpoint. We’ve always known that we’re going to take our time with the development of the characters.
Considering the early popularity of the show, that certainly seasons like a reasonable goal as the streamers have been letting their more successful originals go to around the five-season mark.
Over on Netflix, the voyage will be coming to an end for fan-favorite animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. That show was cancelled by Paramount+ back in 2023 after its first season and before its already completed second season had hit streaming. It departed from that service, but Netflix picked it up with the possibility that it could carry on into a third year and more. But it did not make it into the streamer’s Top 10, even after the never-seen second season premiered in Summer 2024. And now, according to What’s on Netflix, the show has been quietly cancelled and will be leaving that service. The first season will depart on June 24th and the second season will leave at the end of the year. However, this is an opportunity for fans to stump for the show once again and lobby for another venue to pick it up, and I will be adding it to our Spring poll.
Over at Fox, the animated fantasy comedy Krapopolis has been extended to a fifth season. Network execs apparently like that Dan Harmon series because it was renewed through its third season before it even aired and then got an extension to a fourth season. Its ratings have not been that impressive except when it has NFL Football as its lead-in, and it is currently one of the less-watched animated comedies on the network based on same-day viewing. But Fox is apparently happy enough with its performance and will keep it around for several more years. That will guarantee that it has enough episodes for a syndication run, and perhaps that is the goal because that is where shows really make money.
None of these announcements impact the Cancellation/Renewal score for the 2024-25 season because Fallout will not return until the next season, Krapopolis already counted as renewed, and Star Trek: Prodigy counted as cancelled two seasons ago. The score is currently at 28 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (48% of shows tracked) vs. 15 cancelled and ending (26%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons on our Cancellation Watch Page.
Fallout takes place 200 years after the apocalypse when people living in luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the world outside and are shocked by how things have developed while they have been safely locked away. It stars Ella Purnell, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, Moisés Arias, Walton Goggins and it is based on the the popular video game Fallout: A Post Nuclear Role Playing Game.
Star Trek: Prodigy follows a motley crew of young aliens who find the abandoned Starfleet ship the USS Protostar and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony. With the Emergency Training Holographic Advisor in the form of Captain Janeway, they must learn to work together as they make their way from the Delta Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant. The voice cast includes Brett Gray, Ella Purnell, Jason Mantzoukas, Angus Imrie, Rylee Alazraqui, and Kate Mulgrew.
Krapopolis is set in mythical ancient Greece and follows a dysfunctional family of humans, gods, and monsters that try to rule over the world’s first cities while also trying not to kill each other in the process. The voice cast includes Hannah Waddingham, Richard Ayoade, Matt Berry, Pam Murphy, and Duncan Trussell.
I expect more announcements this week as the Upfronts continue, so be sure to stay tuned to CancelledSciFi.com and our social media sites for updates and breaking news. And also be sure to vote for your favorite shows from the current season in our Spring poll.
Keep up with the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows as well as news and updates on new and upcoming shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
Cancellation Watch: Status updates and breaking news on renewals and cancellations
Sci Fi TV Highlights: Listings for the upcoming week along with the latest sci fi TV news and trailers.
Sci Fi TV Production Report: News on which sci fi TV shows are moving into production.
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