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
Revival (Syfy, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama starring Wynonna Earp‘s Melanie Scrofano premiered last week with very little in the way of promotion from Syfy, and not surprisingly it did not attract much of an audience. Its first episode managed only a 0.02 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 104K total viewers. However, it has started to develop some good buzz, and the premiere episode is streaming for free on YouTube right now, so perhaps that will give it a boost. I will track the numbers closely over the coming weeks, and fans should certainly make some noise on the social networks to bring this one more attention.
Andor (Disney+, Status: Ending): This two-season limited series went out on a high note, taking the Number 1 slot in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of its finale with an estimated 931 million minutes watched. The story leads straight into the Rogue One movie, and showrunner Tony Gilroy has said that he has no further plans for Andor. Though there is always a chance that Disney could decide to do a prequel that focuses on Jyn Ersa, and the final scene with Bix from Andor does suggest a next generation, so perhaps the Mouse House will choose to mine one of those options if they want to make more money off this Star Wars offshoot.
The Last of Us (HBO, Status: Renewed): The ratings are down for this show in its second season with the linear viewing averaging a 0.19 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic vs. a 0.24 score in its first year. Also, the streaming viewing is down by 18% so far (Nielsen is a month behind on those numbers), so the audience has definitely slipped. But that has to be expected considering some of the shocking events of the current season, and the drop in viewership does not put the show in jeopardy at this point. Season 2 still had relatively strong numbers in the currently competitive environment, and the show has been renewed for a third year. The showrunners currently have a four-season plan for The Last of Us, and it seems like a good bet that HBO will let them see that through.
The Wheel of Time (Prime Video, Status: Cancelled): The cancellation of this fantasy series came as somewhat of a surprise, and showrunner Rafe Judkins has confirmed that it was not a result of viewership. The show has spent 20 weeks in the Nielsen Streaming Top 10, and Judkins notes that “very few shows have been able to match in the last decade”. Instead, it was the high cost of production that did it in, especially considering the fact that Prime Video has two other mega-dollar shows active right now–The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Fallout–as well as a Warhammer 40K series in the works (starring Henry Cavil). Judkins did give some hope for Wheel of Time fans saying:
So who knows? Perhaps the Wheel of Time show will do what the books have always managed to do since day one — defy the traditional definitions of ‘beginnings’ and ‘ends.’ I certainly hope it does — because this book series and these fans deserve to see the story finished.
The show is not actively being shopped around at the moment, but fans are fighting for a fourth season.
You can keep up with the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows at our Cancellation Watch Page.
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Cancellation/Renewal Score:
Paramount has announced a fifth and final season for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but that does not impact the score for the current season because the show’s fourth-year renewal was already factored in. We are currently at 28 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (46% of shows tracked) vs. 17 cancelled and ending (28%). Below are this season’s numbers, and you can see the list of shows and keep up with the score for the current and prior seasons throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.
| Show Count | 61 | ||
| Cancelled | 8 | 13.1% | |
| Ending | 9 | 14.8% | 27.9% |
| Renewed | 28 | 45.9% | |
| On the Bubble | 4 | 6.6% | |
| Renewal Possible | 12 | 19.7% | |
| Mini-Series | 5 |
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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