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The Acolyte Has Been Cancelled by Disney after One Season

Od: johnnyjay

The story will not be continuing for the live-action Star Wars series The Acolyte as Disney+ has chosen to cancel that one after a single season. That show made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the first two weeks of its inaugural season and also showed up one more time the week of its season finale. It also scored relatively well with critics, currently holding a 78% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But fans of the franchise were not as happy with it seeing as it only has an 18% Audience Score. Creator and showrunner Leslye Headland did have plans to continue the series and made a pitch to Disney+ execs for how it would carry on into a second season and more. But with a price tag of $180 million for the eight-episode first season, the streamer was not interested in keeping the show going based on its subpar viewing numbers (there were already rumors that it would not go beyond its first season due to the cost). And that means that this one is pretty much dead at this point seeing as Disney owns the Star Wars franchise and is unlikely to allow the show to move to another venue.

This announcement counts back to the 2023-24 season and brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for that year to 22 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (28% of shows tracked) vs. 36 renewed (46%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

The Acolyte follows an investigation into a shocking crime spree that pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems. It stars Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Manny Jacinto, Dafne Keen, and Charlie Barnett.

The 2024-25 season has just begun, but there are still shows from the prior year waiting for word on their fates, and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site as well as our Twitter and Mastodon accounts for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post The Acolyte Has Been Cancelled by Disney after One Season appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Highlights: Series Finale for Evil, The CW pulls The Librarians: The Next Chapter from the Schedule, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Schedule Notes:

There are no sci fi TV premieres this week, but three shows will be wrapping up. Most notable, the supernatural drama Evil will be coming to an end after four seasons and 50 episodes. The show will release its series finale on Thursday on Paramount+. The Apple TV+ fantasy entry Time Bandits will release its Season 1 finale on Wednesday, and there has been no word yet on a second season of that one. Also, AMC’s Orphan Black: Echoes will air its Season 1 finale on Sunday, and a second season of that show has not been confirmed yet. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for August and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Aug 19 – Aug 25

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday August 19
Futurama (Hulu) Streaming
Tuesday August 20
No Genre Entries
Wednesday August 21
The Ark (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
Sunny (Apple TV+) Streaming
Time Bandits (Apple TV+) Streaming Season Finale
Thursday August 22
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming Series Finale
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (Max) Streaming
Rick & Morty: The Anime (ADSW/Max) 12:00-12:30
Friday August 23
No Genre Entries
Saturday August 24
No Genre Entries
Sunday August 25
Snowpiercer (AMC) 9:00-10:00
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) 10:00-11:00 Season Finale

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

The Librarians: The Next Chapter, which is a sequel to The Librarians and which comes from franchise creator Dean Devlin, was set to premiere on The CW on October 24th, but it has been pulled from the schedule “indefinitely”. There is no word on why this move is taking place, but there has been very little information available on the show and no trailer has been released yet. The assumption at this point is that it could premiere later in the year, or–more likely–it will join the schedule at some point in 2025. Following is the description of the series given by Deadline:

The Librarians: The Next Chapter is a spinoff of the original TV series The Librarians, which followed the adventures of the custodians of a magical repository of the world’s most powerful and dangerous supernatural artifacts. The new series centers on a “Librarian” (McGowan) from the past, who time traveled to the present and now finds himself stuck here. When he returns to his castle, which is now a museum, he inadvertently releases magic across the continent. He is given a new team to help him clean up the mess he made, forming a new team of Librarians.

The original series (which was a spin-off from the TV movies that starred Noah Wyle) developed a notable fanbase, and I am sure they will encourage The CW to get the sequel series on the schedule sooner rather than later.

Netflix is moving forward with the 3D animated Ghostbusters series that was previously announced in 2022.  No details are available at this time, but Variety says that it will be “tonally in line” with the recent movies in the franchise.  Elliot Kalan will be coming onboard as executive producer and writer and he was head writer for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart when it racked up four Emmy wins.

Amazon’s Prime Video is teaming with Tim Miller (Love, Death, and Robots) to create the adult animated anthology series Secret Life.  The show will consist of stories that are set within the worlds of video games such as Amazon Games’ New World, Spelunky as well as several PlayStation titles.  This one will likely be looking at a 2025 premiere.

Two genre entries received renewals last week, with Netflix’s Supacell getting renewed for a second season, and Apple TV+’s Dark Matter also getting a second-season nod.

In scheduling news, Ryan Murphy’s new horror series Grotesquerie has received a premiere date of September 25th on FX.  You can see the teaser for that one below.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers:


Grotesquerie (FX): A series of heinous crimes have unsettled a small community, and detective Lois Tryon feels these crimes are eerily personal, as if someone—or something—is taunting her. With no leads and unsure of where to turn, she accepts the help of Sister Megan. However, they find themselves ensnared in a sinister web that only seems to raise more questions than answers. Premieres September 25th.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Series Finale for Evil, The CW pulls The Librarians: The Next Chapter from the Schedule, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Dark Matter Renewed for Second Season by Apple TV+

Od: johnnyjay

Apple TV+ has given a second season renewal to its sci fi series Dark Matter which is based on the book of the same name by Blake Crouch (and is not to be confused with the 2015 Syfy series that was cancelled after three seasons). That show did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings during its first season run, and it did receive mixed reviews (though it currently holds an 83% Fresh Ratings and 83% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes), but apparently it has performed well enough compared to other originals on the streaming service. The first season ended on a somewhat ambiguous note (as did the novel it is based on), and now the show will be able to carry on the story and further explore its universe. Since Crouch is the executive producer and showrunner of the series, he will be the perfect person to build on the story as it goes beyond the novel. He had the following to say about what to expect from the show going forward:

In the process of writing and filming season one, we discovered that there’s so much more story to tell, and we’ve only scratched the surface of these characters as they fight for survival and to find their way home through a landscape of mind-bending realities. See you in the Box.

The second season will likely arrive at some point in 2025, and there is no word at this point on the episode count. Other Apple TV+ genre shows currently waiting for word their fates include Strange Planet, The Changeling, Sugar, Sunny, and Time Bandits.

This renewal will count back to the 2023-24 season and will bring the Cancellation/Renewal Score for that year to 36 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (46% of shows tracked) vs 21 cancelled and ending (27%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Dark Matter follows Jason Dessen who is abducted into an alternate version of his life. He must then go on a harrowing journey to save his family from the most terrifying foe imaginable: himself. It stars Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, and Dayo Okeniyi and it is based on the novel of the same name by Blake Crouch.

The 2024-25 season has just begun, but there are still shows from the prior year waiting for word on their fates, and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site as well as our Twitter and Mastodon accounts for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post Dark Matter Renewed for Second Season by Apple TV+ appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancelled Before They Began: Thor (1988) and Daredevil (1989)

Od: johnnyjay
Thor and Daredevil got tryouts on NBC in the 1980s as guest stars in the Incredible Hulk movies, but the network did not greenlight either to series.

[Updated]

What Are They?

In the 1980s, NBC acquired the rights to The Incredible Hulk from CBS and produced three made-for-TV-movies to test and see if audiences were ready for a return of Dr David Banner and his alter ego The Hulk. In addition, the network used these as “back door pilots” to work in two other Marvel characters and see if they might warrant getting their own shows.

In 1988’s The Incredible Hulk Returns, David Banner has been working at a research institute for two years and has managed to keep his alter ego under control during that time. He is developing a Gamma Ray transponder that he hopes will cure him of the Hulk forever. One of Banner’s former students, Donald Blake, approaches him and reveals that he has become bonded to the mythical Thor after discovering the God of Thunder’s hammer while on an expedition in Norway. Odin had banished Thor to Earth long ago, and now Blake can summon him using the hammer (they exist together as opposed to the comics where Thor replaces Blake when he is summoned). Criminals steal the Gamma Ray transponder leading to Banner/Hulk teaming up with Blake/Thor to recover it. This movie definitely took a lot of liberties with the Thor character, especially by using him quite often for comic relief. But The Incredible Hulk also diverged notably from its source material and still produced a classic sci fi series, so it would have at least been interesting to see the direction they would have gone with the character if he had been picked up for his own show.

Aired: NBC, May 22, 1988

Starring: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Jack Colvin, Eric Kramer, Steve Levitt

Developed By: Kenneth Johnson

The next year brought The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and that introduced Matt Murdock/Daredevil. In this film, David Banner heads to a city to find work but finds it is under the influence of crime boss Wilson Fisk (played by John Rhys-Davies!). Banner gets into an altercation with two of Fisk’s men on the subway which causes him to turn into the Hulk. Banner is blamed for the incident and arrested, and Matt Murdock is appointed as his attorney. Murdock learns that Banner is the Hulk and then reveals his own secret identity of Daredevil. The two then team up to foil Fisk’s attempts to take full control of criminal activities across the city. This film also took liberties with the source material, but this version of Daredevil was closer to his comic book origins than either the Hulk or Thor. And the movie established a much stronger setup for a series based on the Man Without Fear. (Fun fact: this film also had the first of Stan Lee’s cameo appearances in Marvel-based movies.)

Aired: NBC, May 7, 1989

Starring: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Rex Smith, John Rhys-Davies

Developed By: Kenneth Johnson

Buy The Incredible Hulk Returns / The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk on DVD Amazon.com

Why Didn’t They Fly?

Sadly, neither Thor nor Daredevil progressed into their own shows. The Incredible Hulk movies drew decent ratings (a third and final film—with no guest heroes–would follow in 1990), but apparently not sufficient for network execs to greenlight the back-door pilots. If one or both had gone to series, would the characters have had crossovers since NBC owned the rights to all of them? This was definitely an early opportunity to establish an on-screen Marvel Universe of sorts, but NBC passed on the chance just as CBS did back in the late ’70s (more on that at Cult-SciFi.com). Through the years, neither of the ’80s renditions of the two Marvel characters have received much positive recognition, so perhaps it was for the best they did not continue into their own shows. And the broadcast nets had a particular aversion to genre entries in the ’80s and into the early ’90s, so their chances of lasting past a single season were not good. But if one or both had gone to series, they could have caused a significant shift to the direction of the MCU down the road, especially if they had been successful.

Where Can You Watch Them?

The two TV movies have been released together on a DVD set which is available for a rather economical price at the moment. They are also available to purchase VOD individually and they are available to stream for free (with ads) on Hoopla and Pluto TV.

Stream or Purchase VOD

Read about more Sci Fi TV pilots that did not fly at this link.



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.

The post Cancelled Before They Began: Thor (1988) and Daredevil (1989) appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Why Was Scavengers Reign Cancelled and Can It Be Saved?

Od: johnnyjay

What Is It?

This animated sci fi series follows the survivors of a damaged interstellar cargo ship who try to find their missing crewmates on the planet where they crashed.  In their endeavors, they must deal with the odd ecosystem of this land, which can be both hostile and helpful.

Aired: Max/Netflix, 2023, 1 Season Totaling 12 Episodes

Starring: Sunita Mani, Wunmi Mosaku, Alia Shawkat, Bob Stephenson, Ted Travelstead

Created By: Joseph Bennett, Charles Huettner

Why Was It Cancelled?


This series premiered on Max in Fall 2023 but it did not chart during its first season run on that service. It did develop some notable word-of-mouth throughout the sci fi community, and regularly received recommendations on social media as a unique and original genre entry.   It has also been lauded by critics and viewers, currently holding a 100% Fresh Rating and 95% Audience Score at Rotten Tomatoes. But none of that led to notable viewership numbers and Max decided to cancel the show after one season.  And while the show did wrap up its story across its 12-episode run, executive producers Sean Buckelew and James Merrill have indicated that they mapped out two more seasons.

Despite the cancellation, Netflix must have been paying attention to the positive buzz because they picked it up for an encore run of the first season which began in Summer 2024. They did not commit to a second season of the show, but the word was that would be paying close attention to the viewership numbers.  It did not chart for that streaming service either, so at this point, the show appears to be one-and-done

Can the Show Be Saved?

The fate of Scavengers Reign looks to be very much in doubt at this point, but it is not impossible that it could return for a second season or more. Netflix definitely had an interest in continuing the show, but the viewership numbers did not appear to justify it. I am not certain if it was an expensive production, but if it was not too costly, the streamer might still consider keeping it around. They have not made an official announcement one way or the other, so my guess is that the second season is still up for consideration.

As mentioned, the show has developed quite a bit of buzz, but it does not seem to have pulled together a cohesive fanbase. I have seen people promoting it sporadically in various places, but not a unified effort that has managed to get it trending on social media. At this point, if fans can bring the show some attention and get people watching it in large numbers on Netflix, that streamer may be persuaded to keep it going for a second season or more. I’m thinking any attempt to focus on Max would be a wasted effort since that service already cancelled the show, but Netflix does appear to still be an option. That window could be closing soon, though, so fans should definitely step up their Call to Action if they want more from Scavengers Reign.

Where Can You Watch It?

The show is still streaming on Max, but as mentioned above, fans should focus their viewing on Netflix. Those views will be counted and could help propel it to a second season. It is not currently available to purchase VOD.

Stream Scavengers Reign on Netlix or Max

Did you watch Scavengers Reign and would you support fan efforts to save the show? Chime in below in the comments.



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.

The post Why Was Scavengers Reign Cancelled and Can It Be Saved? appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: The Umbrella Academy Goes Out Strong, the Journey Could End for Star Trek: Prodigy, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

The Umbrella Academy (Netflix, Status: Ending): This superhero series made it into the Netflix Top 10 at Number 2 for the week of its premiere, pulling in 47.5 million hours of viewing across 8.4 million households over a four-day period. This show is in its final season and it has performed well in viewership for the streamer throughout its run. I would not be surprised to see a spin-off series emerge in the next year or so.

Star Trek: Prodigy (Netflix, Status: Cancelled): This animated Trek entry has not charted since its second season premiered on Netflix at the beginning of July. It had already been cancelled by Paramount+, but when Netflix picked it up there were hopes that the show could continue to a third season at that streamer. But it has not drawn in notable viewership yet in the Netflix Top 10 nor the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, so it seems unlikely that the streamer will invest in future seasons. Fans should continue to make some noise in support of the show, though, and try to get people to watch it on Netflix if they want it to have any chance of sticking around.

House of the Dragon (HBO, Status: Renewed): This Game of Thrones spin-off wrapped up its second season on a strong note as it posted a 0.43 rating based on same-day viewing in the 18-49 demographic with 1.5 million total viewers for its Season 2 finale. Those are very good linear ratings for a cable series these days and the show has also been pulling in over one billion minutes a week in digital viewing on Max. This one has been renewed through its fourth season and that will be its last.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

A second season announcement for Netflix’s Supacell came yesterday, but that will count back on the 2023-24 season. The premiere for the final season of Netflix’s The Dragon Prince has been announced for December, and that will count on the current season.  For the newly started 2024-25 year, the Cancellation/Renewal Score currently stands at 9 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (60% of shows tracked) vs. 6 cancelled and ending (40%). 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 15
Cancelled 3 20.0%
Ending 3 20.0% 40.0%
Renewed 9 60.0%
On the Bubble 0 0.0%
Renewal Possible 0 0.0%
Mini-Series 0


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.

The post Cancellation Watch: The Umbrella Academy Goes Out Strong, the Journey Could End for Star Trek: Prodigy, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Supacell Renewed for Second Season by Netflix

Od: johnnyjay

Coming as no surprise, Netflix has renewed its British superhero drama Supacell for a second season. That show arrived in June with little in the way of promotion in the States, but it immediately jumped up to the top rungs of the Netflix charts. It started at the Number 2 slot then spent two weeks at Number 1, overall averaging 29 million hours a week watched through its six-week run in the charts. It has also spent three weeks in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings so far, averaging 600 million minutes watched per week. In addition, the show currently holds a perfect 100% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so the renewal had been pretty much expected. Series creator Rapman had the following to say about the direction of the upcoming season:

I can’t wait for the world to see Supacell Season 2. For me season 1 was always an origin story. Season 2 is when the journey really begins. Season 1 was my Batman Begins, Season 2 is my Dark Knight.

The first season of Supacell had six episodes and there has been no word yet on the episode count for the second year. Expect that to premiere in late 2025 or early 2026.

This announcement counts back to the 2023-24 season and it brings that Cancellation/Renewal Score to 35 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (45% of shows tracked) vs 21 cancelled and ending (27%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Supacell follows a group of five ordinary Black people unified by a family history of sickle cell disease. They unexpectedly develop superpowers and are pursued by a secret organization that intends to control them for its own purposes. It stars Tosin Cole, Jessica Magaye, Ricardo McCleary-Campbell, Saraphina Mattis, Melissa Simon-Hartman, Cleo Young and Micheal Ademilua.

The 2024-25 season has just begun, but there are still shows from the prior year waiting for word on their fates, and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site as well as our Twitter and Mastodon accounts for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post Supacell Renewed for Second Season by Netflix appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Solar Opposites S5, The Human Vapor Gets a TV Reboot, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


Solar Opposites (Hulu): A team of four aliens escape their exploding home world only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America. They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome. Korvo (Dan Stevens) and Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone) only see the pollution, crass consumerism, and human frailty while Terry (Thomas Middleditch) and Jesse (Mary Mack) love humans and all their TV, junk food and fun stuff. Their mission: protect the Pupa, a living super computer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth. All episodes will be available on Monday.



Rick & Morty: The Anime (Adult Swim/Max): Rick relaxes in a pseudo-world between multiverses, Summer helps Space Beth fight the evil Galactic Federation, and Morty falls in love with a mysterious girl who happens to be an atemporal being. The first episode premieres midnight on Thursday.

Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for August and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Aug 12 – Aug 18

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday August 12
Futurama (Hulu) Streaming
Solar Opposites (Hulu) Streaming Season 5 Premiere
Tuesday August 13
No Genre Entries
Wednesday August 14
The Ark (Syfy) Streaming
Sunny (Apple TV+) Streaming
Time Bandits (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday August 15
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (Max) Streaming
Rick & Morty: The Anime (ADSW/Max) 12:00-12:30
Friday August 16
No Genre Entries
Saturday August 17
No Genre Entries
Sunday August 18
Snowpiercer (AMC) 9:00-10:00
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) 10:00-11:00

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

The classic 1960 Japanese film The Human Vapor, which was directed by Godzilla creator Ishiro Honda, is getting a live-action TV series reboot from Netflix and Toho Studios. The Hollywood Report gives the following description of the original film:

The third and final film of Toho’s “Transforming Human Series” of cult sci-fi classics from the 1950s and 1960s, The Human Vapor tells the story of a man turned into a gaseous mutant by a radiation experiment gone awry. He then uses his unique powers to rob banks and terrorize society with murderous crimes, while financially supporting a struggling dancer he admires. The film is considered an early masterpiece of the sci-fi thriller genre, renowned for innovative VFX and exploration of power structures and societal oppression.

The television adaptation will move the setting to present-day Japan and Shinzo Katayama (Gannibal) will direct with Yeon Sang-ho (Hellbound, Parasyte: The Grey) onboard as executive producer. Shun Oguri (Godzilla vs. Kong) and Yu Aoi (Wife of a Spy) will co-star in the series, and a targeted premiere date has not been announced yet.

Henry Ashton has been cast in the role of Daeron Targaryen in the upcoming Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (this is not the same character seen in House of the Dragon).  Other new castings for the show include Edward Ashley, Youssef Kerkour, Daniel Monks, Shaun Thomas, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, and Danny Webb.

A fourth season of HBO’s House of the Dragon has been confirmed, and the show will wrap up at that point.  A second season of Daredevil: Born Again has also been confirmed.

In scheduling news, Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has received a premiere date of December 3rd (you can see the trailer for that one below), and the first season of Daredevil: Born Again will arrive March 1st.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers:


Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (Disney+): This series centers on a group of kids lost in a galaxy far, far away — as they try to make their way home. Premieres December 3rd.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Solar Opposites S5, The Human Vapor Gets a TV Reboot, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Daredevil: Born Again Will Continue to a Second Season

Od: johnnyjay

The revival of Daredevil on the small screen with Daredevil: Born Again will finally have its premiere on March 1, 2025, and a second season of that show has been confirmed at D23. Netflix cancelled its Daredevil series starring Charlie Cox after three seasons in 2018, and fans immediately started lobbying for the show to move to a new venue. Disney eventually relented and announced the return of Daredevil, but it was originally referred to as a “soft reboot”. But after Disney and Marvel execs saw the initial footage of the new show, they told the creative team to go back to the drawing board and pull more heavily from the original series. That led to the return of Deborah Ann Woll as Karen Page and Elden Henson as Foggy Nelsen (and Jon Bernthal will be back as The Punisher) and also generated a fair amount of excitement among fans who had been stumping for the show. And now, Season 2 has been confirmed with Kevin Feige saying that it will start shooting soon. That is definitely good news as the MCU television entries have been tending to go for only a single season lately. But the Daredevil character certainly has plenty of stories to carry him for multiple seasons, and the fan support as well.

Since Daredevil: Born Again is now confirmed for the newly-started 2024-25 season, this announcement will add one more to the current Cancellation/Renewal Score. The tally presently stands at 8 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (62% of shows tracked) vs 5 cancelled and ending (38%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Daredevil: Born Again follows blind attorney Matt Murdock who had his senses enhanced from a childhood accident and has turned into the crime-fighter named Daredevil. He battles in the streets of New York City to keep the people living there safe from villains like Kingpin who seek to terrorize and control the city. It stars Charlie Cox, Vincent D’Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Deborah Ann Woll, and Elden Henson.

The 2024-25 season has just begun, but there are still shows from the prior year waiting for word on their fates, and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site as well as our Twitter and Mastodon accounts for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post Daredevil: Born Again Will Continue to a Second Season appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All Time: The Expanse (2015)

Od: johnnyjay

The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.

What Is It?

This series takes place hundreds of years in the future when humans have ventured beyond Earth to colonize planets and have established three main governing powers in the solar system: the United Nations of Earth and Luna, the Martian Congressional Republic, and the Outer Planets Alliance (OPA), a loose political confederation of colonies scattered across the asteroid belt and moons of Jupiter and Saturn. When the daughter of wealthy and influential Jules-Pierre Mao goes missing, a detective living on Ceres is tasked with finding her, and that leads to the discovery of the existence of an alien protomolecule in the solar system. That in turn sets things in motion for a rise in tensions among the governing powers and brings them to the brink of war. Renegade captain James Holden and his crew of the ship named Rocinante find themselves in the middle of this and they may be the only ones who can keep the planets from destroying each other.

Aired: Syfy/Prime Video, 2015-2022, 6 Seasons Totaling 62 Episodes

Developed By: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby

Starring: Thomas Jane, Steven Strait, Cas Anvar, Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frankie Adams

Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:


When The Expanse arrived on the scene in 2015, there was a dearth of space-based shows across the television landscape. The Battlestar: Galactica and Stargate franchises had come to an end, and Star Trek had not been on the small screen since Enterprise was cancelled in 2005. Syfy had also shifted to mostly “sci fi lite” entries like Warehouse 13, Sanctuary, and Haven since rebranding from The Sci Fi Channel in 2009. But the network had decided to return to space in 2015, starting with Killjoys and Dark Matter, and then delivering The Expanse in December of that year.

This show delivered one of the closest things to hard sci fi that television had seen, with its believable take on first contact, and its realistic portrayal of space travel and battles in space. It also had a notable budget that allowed it to unveil its story visually with amazing cinematography. And while the acting and general direction of the show was rather uneven in its first season, it settled in by the second year as it really started to hit its stride. The cast became more comfortable in their roles and the characters they brought to life helped bump the show up to that next level.

The Expanse was almost cut short after its third season when Syfy cancelled it because the ratings did not justify the cost of the show. But Amazon stepped in and saved it, allowing the series to continue for three more seasons, and they also pumped an even bigger budget into the production. It ended on a high note after its sixth season, coming to a logical conclusion based on where the show was in relation to the books (the novel series takes a 28-year jump at that point). But the show continues to resonate with fans, and they would love more adventures from the crew of the Rocinante as The Expanse has set a new bar for sci fi TV shows and should be counted as one of the greatest genre entries of all time.

Argument Against:

While The Expanse does count as a good sci fi TV entry, it diverges notably from the book series by James S.A. Corey that it is based on and wastes several good storylines and characters. It rushes through some parts of the novels and changes others while also delivering a very different take on some of the characters (most notably Bobbie Draper, though definitely not the fault of Frankie Adams). And while an adaptation can certainly take some liberties, the television series does it to the detriment of the overall story. It ends up getting convoluted and confusing and at times it fails to delve into the true story potential found in the books. The show also got off to a slow start with its uneven first season, and it introduces a storyline in its sixth year that goes nowhere because that was its final season. All of this leads to a series that was impressive from a visual standpoint, but that disappointed in the delivery of its story and characters, causing it to fall short of counting as a sci fi TV great.

Johnny Jay’s Take:

By the time that The Expanse had premiered in 2015, I had read the first book in the series, and I found myself somewhat disappointed in the television adaptation. The interpretation of the characters (apart from Amos) did not match to their portrayals in the book, and the story diverged in several places. Still, I enjoyed the show well enough and stuck with it as I continued to read the books. But ultimately I decided to pause my reading and just watch the show because I found myself constantly comparing it back to the books. And it was at that point that I started to really enjoy the television version. Yes, the series takes plenty of liberties with the source material, but it still does a good job of delivering an engaging, science fiction story populated with a well-developed set of characters. And by the time the show wrapped up, I truly felt like it had turned into a major accomplishment for genre TV. It delivered a realistic take on space travel and an interesting idea on how we might first encounter alien life while also mixing in the intrigue of Game of Thrones-style politics. The Expanse does get off to somewhat of a rough start, but it hits its stride by its second season, and overall the show certainly counts as one of the greats of sci fi television.

Where Can You Watch It?

The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. All six seasons are currently streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video and you can buy them VOD from sellers like Apple TV.

Do you consider The Expanse to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy TV shows of all time, or did it derail by taking too many liberties with the source material? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.



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.

The post The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All Time: The Expanse (2015) appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Bubble Sci Fi TV: A Look at the Shows from the 2023-24 Season Still Awaiting Word on Their Fates

Od: johnnyjay

The 2023-24 season has wrapped up, and there are still quite a number of sci fi and fantasy television shows waiting to hear if they will stick around for another year. I expected more cancellations than usual this year, and we haven’t quite seen that yet, but that could change depending on how many of these shows end up getting sent to the Network Executioner. So far, 21 genre entries were cancelled or ended in this past season (27% of shows tracked) while 34 have been renewed so far (44%). You can see the full rundown of shows with all of their statuses at our Cancellation Watch Page, and below I look at the ones that have not received either a cancellation or renewal announcement yet.

The shows that I have flagged as On the Bubble can certainly use a Call to Action from fans on the social networks. And pretty much every show that has not been renewed yet could benefit from any form of fan support. We have seen genre entries like The Expanse, Lucifer, and Manifest saved by fan campaigns in the past, and perhaps one of the shows below could be the next to get an extended lease on life. Be sure to follow this site and our Twitter and Mastodon accounts for updates and breaking news on these shows as well as the genre entries for the 2024-25 season.

See all the upcoming sci fi and fantasy TV premieres at this link and keep up with the weekly schedule at this link.

The Acolyte (Disney+, Renewal Possible): This live-action Star Wars entry is not quite a Bubble show yet, but pretty close. Showrunner Leslye Headland has plans for more seasons of this show, but there have been rumors that Disney+ is not planning on continuing it beyond its first year, largely because it is so expensive to produce. It did make an appearance in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, though, so maybe that will help its chances.

The Ark (Syfy, Renewal Possible): The second season of this space opera has just started, and Nielsen ratings data for the cable channels is sparse these days, so it is hard to make a call on this one at this point. Syfy has been bad about promoting its originals, and reviews have been mixed on the show, so I would not count it as a strong genre entry at this point. But perhaps it will do well enough to journey into a third season.

Ark: The Animated Series (Paramount+, On the Bubble): This animated entry released the first six episodes of its first season with no advance notice in March 2024, with the remaining seven set to be released later in the year.  It was originally supposed to premiere in 2023, but the show got shuffled around and Paramount+ does not appear to be giving it much promotion.  This is a co-licensed production with Studio Wildcard and Tiger Animation, and it may end up getting only the one season from the streaming service, though it could get shopped around to other venues.

Beacon 23 (MGM+, On the Bubble): This show had originally been a joint production by AMC and Spectrum and had been picked up for two seasons according to an interview with executive producer Glen Mazzara. It shifted over to MGM+ when AMC and Spectrum backed out, and there are plans for additional seasons. It is unclear if that network has an interest in keeping the show going, though, or if they just picked it up for a burn-off run.

Cult-SciFi.com: Looking Back at Cult Movies, TV Shows, Books, and More from the Worlds of Sci Fi, Fantasy, and Horror

The Changeling (Apple TV+, On the Bubble): This horror series did not develop too much buzz in its first season, but its creative team has a two-season plan in place that will wrap up all of its storylines. Showrunner Kelly Marcel says that “season one was a setup of a lot of questions, and season two is the answer to all of those questions”. However, there has been no word on that second season yet, and with Apple TV+ looking to cut back on spending for its original content, this show’s fate could be very much in doubt.

Chucky (Syfy/USA, Renewal Possible): There has been no word on a fourth season of this horror/comedy yet, but creator Don Mancini has already made a pitch to Syfy for where the show can go next. In addition, fans have an opportunity to support the show by calling 1-201-500-3347 to demand more adventures from Chucky. Its linear viewing numbers dropped off in its third year, but perhaps this one could stick around for another season (maybe becoming a USA exclusive like Resident Alien) if the fans lobby for it.

Creepshow (Shudder, Renewal Possible): This horror anthology has proven quite popular for the Shudder streaming service, setting viewership records and also receiving good buzz from critics and fans (plus, it has done well in its encore runs on AMC). There has been no word on a fifth season yet, but I am guessing that this one is not done yet.

Dark Matter (Apple TV+, Renewal Possible): This sci fi entry has not made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings so far, though it currently has mostly positive feedback, holding an 81% Fresh Rating and 82% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. Series creator Blake Crouch has indicated that he has ideas for a second season in an AMA he did on Reddit, though he has also suggested that the first season told the full story that he had planned. With Apple TV+ looking to cut back on spending for its original content, it is unclear where this one stands, but it could stick around for another season.

For status updates on the current sci fi and fantasy shows along with breaking news on cancellations and renewals, follow our Cancellation Watch posts.

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, Renewal Possible): This series spent three weeks in the Netflix Top 10 and two weeks in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, though that may not be enough to satisfy the completion rate that Netflix execs are looking for. It is tied to the same universe as The Sandman, and perhaps that connection will keep it going, but the streamer is known for cutting bait on shows it does not believe are performing up to its viewing standards.

Hit Monkey (Hulu, On the Bubble): This animated entry is the last surviving show from the Marvel Television days before Marvel Studios took over production on all of the TV entries. It did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings in its second season and it has received very little buzz so far. There are plans for a third season, but my confidence is not high that it will go forward.

Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC, Renewal Possible): This Orphan Black spin-off has not drawn much of an audience so far based on the linear ratings and it has received mixed reviews. But AMC continues to advertise it pretty strongly, so perhaps they want to keep this franchise going. It may be performing better in digital viewing (I have not seen any numbers for that), and that may help get it to a second season.

Pluto (Netflix, On the Bubble): This animated series did not place in the Netflix Top 10 during its first-season run, and it adapted the full Manga across its eight episodes. If there is no word on it over the next month or so, I will consider it ended.

Sanctuary: A Witch’s Tale (AMC+, Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama arrived without much advance notice, though it did get a fair amount of promotion from AMC once it started streaming. No viewership numbers are available, and it did not develop much buzz during its first season run. But it is likely not too expensive to produce and there is still a chance that it could return for a second season.

For the weekly schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows along with news and the latest trailers, follow our Sci Fi TV Highlights posts.

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Netflix, On the Bubble): This animated continuation of the feature film made it into the Netflix Top 10 the week after its premiere, but according to creators Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski, they consider the first season to be one-and-done and currently have no ideas for a second year of the show. They have not completely ruled out a continuation, but if there is no word on it in the next month or so I will consider it ended.

Strange Planet (Apple TV+, On the Bubble): This animated series based on the webcomic of the same name came and went with very little fanfare and did not make any noise in the streaming charts. It has been a year since it premiered with no word on its fate, so likely this is one-and-done, especially considering that Apple TV+ is cutting back on spending for its original content.

Sugar (Apple TV+, Renewal Possible): This mystery series with sci fi elements developed some good buzz during its first season run, and from what I understand it performed well compared to other originals on Apple TV+. There has been no word on a second season yet, and Apple TV+ is cutting back on spending for its original content, but perhaps it could stick around for another year.

Sunny (Apple TV+, Renewal Possible): This sci fi dramedy arrived with very little fanfare and has not developed much buzz so far. It is still releasing episodes from its first season, and Apple TV+ may not have made a decision about its fate yet. But that streamer is cutting back on spending for its original content, so it is unclear whether a second season is a possibility for this show.

Keep up with sci fi TV news, updates, trailers and discussions at r/SciFiTV.

The Swarm (CW, Renewal Possible): This German-made series is an acquisition by The CW and its viewership in the U.S. will likely have little impact on whether it gets renewed. It is an expensive show to produce, but it did perform well in its home country during its first season run and a second season is possible. But if there is no word on that in the next month or so, I will consider it ended.

Them (Prime Video, Renewal Possible): The second season of this show made a brief appearance in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings and showrunner Little Marvin has indicated that he has plans for a third season. There has been no word on that yet, but this one could stick around for another year or so.

Time Bandits (Apple TV+, Renewal Possible): This reboot of the 1981 Terry Gilliam film is another new entry from Apple TV+ that did not receive much promotion before its premiere. The early reviews have been mixed on this one and no viewership numbers are available, so it is hard to make a call at this point. Apple TV+ is cutting back on spending for its original content, and this looks like a costly production, so if the viewership is not there it could end up as another one-and-done genre entry from that service.

Velma (Max, On the Bubble): People were surprised that this show received a second season after the first was pretty widely panned, but apparently that had been planned in advance. It did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings across its two seasons, and it currently holds only 38% on the Tomatometer scale and a 10% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. A third season seems unlikely at this point, especially as Max is cutting back on its original content.

Wolf Like Me (Peacock, Renewal Possible): This Australian-made supernatural dramedy has received very little attention for its run in the States on Peacock. But it is relatively inexpensive to produce and could stick around for another season or so, especially since it has an international partnership propping it up.



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.

The post Bubble Sci Fi TV: A Look at the Shows from the 2023-24 Season Still Awaiting Word on Their Fates appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: The Boys Continue to Battle for Amazon, Supacell Rises in the Rankings, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

The Boys (Prime Video, Status: Renewed): This series remained at Number 2 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for a fourth week in a row and it has averaged an estimated 1.2 billion minutes of viewing per week so far in its fourth season. The show has been renewed for a fifth and final season, and the prequel series Vought Rising has been announced with more spin-offs likely to follow.

Supacell (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This British superhero entry improved to Number 3 for its second week in the Nielsen chart with 806 million minutes of viewing. It has dropped to Number 10 in the Netflix chart, but with a six-week run there so far, its chances of renewal look good at this point.

Snowpiercer (AMC, Status: Cancelled): This show is airing its fourth and final season on AMC after it was dropped by TNT as that cable network moves away from scripted programming. I have not seen any linear viewing numbers for the current season yet seeing as the Nielsen ratings have been hard to come by lately. But there were talks of a prequel and sequel series, so if it performs well on AMC, perhaps that will keep the franchise on track. I will continue to keep an eye out for any ratings data that is available.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

HBO has confirmed that House of the Dragon will continue to a fourth season and that will be its last. It was already counting as renewed for the 2023-24 season, though, so that will not impact the current Cancellation/Renewal Score. I had been tracking Superman & Lois in the 2023-24 season, but since its final season premiere was moved to Fall 2024, I have removed that one from the tally. The numbers currently stand at 34 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (44% of shows tracked) vs. 20 cancelled and ending (26%). 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 77
Cancelled 14 18.2%
Ending 6 7.8% 26.0%
Renewed 34 44.2%
On the Bubble 5 6.5%
Renewal Possible 18 23.4%
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.

The post Cancellation Watch: The Boys Continue to Battle for Amazon, Supacell Rises in the Rankings, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

House of the Dragon Will Continue to a Fourth Season and That Will Be Its Last

Od: johnnyjay

HBO’s House of the Dragon will be moving forward to a fourth season as expected, but the show will wrap up at that point. George R.R. Martin had previously indicated that work was already underway for Seasons 3 and 4, but that fourth year had not been confirmed yet. We now have the official announcement on that as well as when the series will be ending. House of the Dragon has been a huge hit for HBO, but it is based on just one book–Fire & Blood–so it could only stretch the source material so far. GRRM has been more closely involved with the show than he was with Game of Thrones, especially the later seasons of that one, and he has indicated that he is very happy with the direction House of the Dragon has taken (though fans of A Song of Ice & Fire would much prefer that he spend some time finishing those books).

The fact that the show is wrapping up will not end the Game of Thrones franchise on HBO, though, as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is in the works following the adventures of Dunk and Egg, and seven total shows are in various stages of development including four animated entries. Production has begun on Knight and it should arrive at some point in 2025 along with the third season of House of the Dragon. For the latter series, the episode count of the final two seasons has not been confirmed, but expect around eight to ten eps each.

The 2024-25 season has just begun and this is the first new renewal counting for that year. There were also several shows that were renewed in advance, and I will be tallying those numbers in the coming weeks. The 2023-24 season just ended and the Cancellation/Renewal Score for that stands at 34 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (44% of shows tracked) vs. 20 cancelled and ending (26%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of the House of Targaryen and how the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest. It stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Steve Toussaint and is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood.

The 2023-24 season has ended with several shows waiting for word on their fates, and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post House of the Dragon Will Continue to a Fourth Season and That Will Be Its Last appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for The Umbrella Academy S4, Star Trek: Lower Decks to Continue in Comics, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


The Umbrella Academy (Netflix): A dysfunctional family of superheroes comes together to solve the mystery of their father’s death, the threat of the apocalypse and more. All episodes will be available for streaming on Thursday.


Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for August and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Aug 5 – Aug 11

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday August 5
Futurama (Hulu) Streaming
Tuesday August 6
No Genre Entries
Wednesday August 7
The Ark (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
Sunny (Apple TV+) Streaming
Time Bandits (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday August 8
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (Max) Streaming
The Umbrella Academy (Netflix) Streaming Season 4 Premiere
Friday August 9
No Genre Entries
Saturday August 10
No Genre Entries
Sunday August 11
Snowpiercer (AMC) 9:00-10:00
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) 10:00-11:00

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

Star Trek: Lower Decks will be wrapping up its television run with its upcoming fifth season (which premieres October 24th), but the story of the junior officers onboard the USS Ceritos will continue with an upcoming comic book from IDW. Here’s what Group Editor Heather Antos has to say about the series:

Just when you thought we couldn’t go lower… we’re BACK with the first ever ONGOING Lower Decks series. Just like the fans out there, we too want more Lower Decks and this time we’re giving it to you tenfold! Ryan North is showing us just how deep of a Trek nerd he is with these stories, and paired with the comedic geniuses of Derek Charm, Jack Lawrence and more on art duties for a rotating cast of ‘episodic’ issues, this series is a mission so fun that even the Lower Deckers themselves won’t want to miss it!

It will be written by Ryan North (Fantastic Four) and drawn by Derek Charm (Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) who previously teamed up on the Lower Decks one-shot Star Trek: Day of Blood – Shax’s Best Day. After the first story arc, a rotating set of artists will take over the drawing of the series. The first issue is scheduled to hit the stands on November 13th.

The planned Battlestar: Galactica reboot, first announced back in 2019, will not be going forward at Peacock. Coming from Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail, the series would have taken place in the same universe as the acclaimed 2003 reboot that previously aired on The Sci Fi Channel, but no story details were ever revealed. No reason has been given on why Peacock has decided to back away from the project, but it is likely a cost issue as the streamers are cutting back on their spending for scripted originals. UCP will shop the show around to other venues.

Legendary TV will be adapting Neal Stephenson’s Hugo award-winning novel Seveneves for the small screen. Deadline gives the following description for the project:

Seveneves follows how the best scientific minds come to the same conclusion after a meteor shatters the moon into seven pieces: In two years’ time, all humans on Earth will be destroyed by a “hard rain” that will make the planet uninhabitable. In a feverish race against the inevitable, nations around the globe band together to devise a plan to ensure survival for humanity, initiating a new chapter for mankind.

Allison Friedman (The Mortuary Collection) is attached at this point as executive producer. No network or streaming service has been linked to the production currently, but this one should draw some interest.

Scott Grimes has said that production on Season 4 of The Orville will begin in early 2025 and The Planetary Union Network: The Orville Official Podcast has echoed that.  No official statement has been made yet, though, but this is at least encouraging news.  We have had several non-updates on the show over the past year or so that have not panned out, but I will keep an eye on this story.

Bruce Campbell is teasing that an animated Evil Dead series is currently in the works and he will provide the voice for Ash.  This is early in the development stage, though, and has not received an official pickup by a network or streaming service.

In production news, Season 2 of the Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians has started filming which should have it on track for a 2025 premiere. And production has also begun on the second season of Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters which should have it arriving at some point in 2025.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for The Umbrella Academy S4, Star Trek: Lower Decks to Continue in Comics, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Obscurities: Time Express (1979)

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Obscurities: A look at sci fi and fantasy TV shows that made it to the air only briefly before getting cast to the television wasteland.

[Updated]

What Is It? A mysterious train has the ability to travel back in time and give people a chance to relive a pivotal point in their life. Each week, two passengers receive a ticket in the mail specifying a specific time and place in their past and giving them the opportunity at a second chance.

Aired: CBS, 1979, 1 Season Totaling 4 Episodes

Created By: Ivan Goff, Ben Roberts

Notable Guest Stars: Vincent Price (Host), Coral Browne (Host), Jerry Stiller, Morgan Fairchild, John de Lancie, Lyle Waggoner

Is It Must Watch Sci Fi TV? No, this show is mostly just a curio from its era that delivered a more genre-heavy spin on the Fantasy Island/Love Boat format and one of the last times that iconic genre actor Vincent Price would appear on television.

The Skinny: By the time this show hit the air in April of 1979, ABC was ready to cut ties with Battlestar: Galactica (though it would try again the next season with the dreadful Galactica: 1980) and NBC was about to launch Buck Rogers in the 25th Century which would be truncated after a disappointing two-season run. The broadcast networks had shied away from genre entries in the ’70s but had briefly flirted with big-budget shows following the success of Star Wars. Those did not pan out, but CBS actually had a very Prime Time-friendly fantasy series in Time Express that could have turned into a hit if handled correctly. Both Fantasy Island and The Love Boat were in the Top 30 for ABC, and this show followed a similar quasi-anthology format with notable guest stars appearing each week. Vincent Price and Coral Brown were the hosts of the train and the episodes would start with flashbacks to the lives of the passengers as a pivotal moment in their lives is reviewed. The train would then take those passengers back to that moment with the opportunity to change the course of events (and since this was ’70s Prime Time TV, there was no concern about the butterfly effect or other implications of time travel). The existence of the train was suggested to be supernatural in origin, and perhaps they would have explored that more if the show had lasted longer.

This was not ground-breaking, edgy drama, just the latest attempt to put a spin on a trend that had already proven popular with audiences. It came from Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts who had created the icon of ’70s fluff-TV Charlie’s Angels. But Time Express actually could have worked if given more support from the network. Fantasy Island remained viable for ABC for seven seasons, and while it may not count as a classic genre entry, it had its moments. Time Express could have followed the same path. It offered the expected who’s who of ’70s faces and even gave John de Lancie one of his early television appearances long before he was whisking through time and space as Q on Star Trek. But perhaps it was just too heavy on the genre elements for network execs who preferred cookie-cutter, Prime Time-friendly fare that regressed to the mean. The show disappeared after four episodes (more on that below), and it is now no more than a footnote in television history.

Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. This show might have caught on if CBS had given it more support on the schedule. It got off to a late season start and it was slotted against ABC’s Thursday juggernauts Mork & Mindy and Angie which ended the year ranked at Number 3 and Number 5 respectively. The ratings were poor, and after its short trial run, the network sent it to the end of the line where it would fade away into television obscurity.

Should It Be Rebooted? It could, but it won’t be. The premise has potential, and it could be brought back with the light tone of the original while throwing in a few more dramatic stories from time to time to keep it in Emmy contention. But this show is long-forgotten, so it brings no name recognition. A variation on the theme could still work, though, if the right creative team got behind it.

Interesting Facts: While Vincent Price has many television appearances to his name (including playing the villain Egghead in the ’60s Batman series), Time Express is the only ongoing series in which he had a starring role (his name is first in the credits). It was also one of his last appearances on television.

This show was one of two train-based anthology shows that bombed during the second half of the 1978-79 season. NBC’s high-dollar Supertrain premiered in February 1979 but had derailed in the Nielsens by the time Time Express hit the schedule.

Where Can You Watch It? This show has never received the DVD or Blu-ray treatment, and it is unlikely that it ever will unless it gets included in some sort of complete collection of Vincent Price’s works. It is also not available for streaming, but you can find episodes on YouTube (sadly, the video quality on those is very poor).

Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com

More Sci Fi TV Obscurities at This Link



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Cancellation Watch: Supacell Enters the Nielsen Rankings, The Boys Continues to Soar, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

Supacell (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This British superhero series entered the Nielsen Streaming Rankings at Number 6 for the week of its premiere. It pulled in an estimated 549 million minutes of viewing, and the show has spent five weeks in the Netflix Top 10 so far. Series creator Rapman is hoping that this one will go for at least three seasons and that does look like a real possibility at this point.

The Boys (Prime Video, Status: Renewed): This show held at Number 2 for a third week in a row, adding on another 1.2 billion minutes of viewership. It has already been renewed for a fifth and final season, and a prequel series was announced this past weekend at Comic Con.

House of the Dragon (HBO, Status: Renewed): This show slipped to Number 4 for its third week in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, though it pulled in over one billion minutes in viewing. It has averaged a 0.34 rating based on same-day viewing in the 18-49 demographic and 1.3 million total viewers so far, and it has already been renewed for a third season with a fourth looking likely as well.

The Dragon Prince (Netflix, Status: Renewed): This fantasy entry did not make into the Netflix Top 10 for the week of its sixth season premiere, but that is not uncommon for animated shows. It has already been renewed through its seventh and final season which will give it the chance to wrap up its storylines.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

At Comic Con this past weekend, renewal announcements came in for The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC), Blood of Zeus (Netflix), Invincible (Prime Video), Solar Opposites (Hulu), and Krapopolis (FOX). (You can see a rundown of the news coming out of SDCC at this link.) That brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season to 34 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (44% of shows tracked) vs. 21 cancelled and ending (27%). 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 78
Cancelled 15 19.2%
Ending 6 7.7% 26.9%
Renewed 34 43.6%
On the Bubble 5 6.4%
Renewal Possible 18 23.1%
Mini-Series 6


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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.

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Blood of Zeus Renewed for Third and Final Season at Netflix

Od: johnnyjay

Announced at Comic Con this past weekend, Neflix’s animated fantasy series Blood of Zeus will be returning for a third and final season. That show has not charted in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings across its first two seasons, but that is not uncommon for animated entries. It has been very well received by critics and audiences, though, currently holding a 100% Fresh Rating and 93% Audience Score at Rotten Tomatoes. A three-season run used to be fairly standard for Netflix orginals with the third announced in advance as the show’s last. This gives the show the chance to wrap up its storylines. Creators Vlas Parlapanides and Charley Parlapanides had the following to say about what to expect from the show’s final year:

In Season Three, we are so excited to continue the story of Heron, Seraphim and the gods as they face their most dangerous adversaries yet, Typhon, Cronus and the Titans.

This announcement adds one more show to the renewal column as we close out the 2023-24 season, and it brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score to 34 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (44% of shows tracked) vs. 21 cancelled and ending (27%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Blood of Zeus tells the “lost history” of the Greek gods as it follows Heron, the demigod son of Zeus, who finds himself in a battle with demons and giants to save Olympus. The voice cast includes Derek Phillips, Jason O’Mara, Claudia Christian, Elias Toufexis, and Mamie Gummer.

We are almost at the end of the 2023-24 season and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post Blood of Zeus Renewed for Third and Final Season at Netflix appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Trailers: Star Trek Section 31, The Penguin, The Rings of Power S2, and More from SDCC 2024

Od: johnnyjay

Following is a rundown of the sci fi TV Trailers coming out of San Diego Comic Con this past weekend. You can see a roundup of the SDCC news at this link and the current listing at this link.


Star Trek: Section 31 (Paramount+): This Paramount+ Original Movie stars Academy Award® winner Michelle Yeoh as Emperor Philippa Georgiou who joins a secret division of Starfleet. Tasked with protecting the United Federation of Planets, she also must face the sins of her past. Premieres in 2025.



The Penguin (HBO): Starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin, this DC Studios series continues the epic crime saga that began with Matt Reeves’ blockbuster movie The Batman. Premieres October 19th.



The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Prime Video): Sauron has returned. Cast out by Galadriel, without army or ally, the rising Dark Lord must now rely on his own cunning to rebuild his strength and oversee the creation of the Rings of Power, which will allow him to bind all the peoples of Middle-earth to his sinister will. Building on Season 1’s epic scope and ambition, Season 2 of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power plunges even its most beloved and vulnerable characters into a rising tide of darkness, challenging each to find their place in a world that is increasingly on the brink of calamity. Elves and dwarves, orcs and men, wizards and Harfoots… as friendships are strained and kingdoms begin to fracture, the forces of good will struggle ever more valiantly to hold on to what matters to them most of all… each other. Season 2 Premieres August 29th.



Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+): This animated comedy series focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos. The fifth and final season premieres October 24th.



Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+): This series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock, Number One and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the starship, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. Season 3 premieres in 2025.



The Legend of Vox Machina (Prime Video): Everything is at stake in the long-awaited Season Three of The Legend of Vox Machina. The Chroma Conclave’s path of destruction spreads like wildfire while the Cinder King hunts down Vox Machina. Our lovable band of misfits must rise above inner (and outer) demons to try and save their loved ones, Tal’Dorei, and all of Exandria. Premieres October 3rd.



The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC): Years have passed since we last saw Maggie and Negan and they must now form a tenuous alliance in order to accomplish a dangerous mission. Maggie and Negan journey to the island of Manhattan, which, having been isolated since the beginning of the walker apocalypse, has developed its own unique threats. Season 2 premieres in 2025.



The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC): Daryl Dixon sets out to find Rick Grimes but somehow gets carried across the ocean to France. He journeys across that country encountering the survivors there while also trying to find a way back home. Season 2 premieres September 29th.



Creature Commandos (Max): In this new animated series from DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation, Amanda Waller creates a black ops team out of monstrous prisoners. Premieres December 2024.



Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (Netflix): An all-new original animation composed of six 30-minute episodes, this series focuses on the European front of the One Year War, which was the setting of the first Gundam series, “Mobile Suit Gundam.” Premieres October 17th.



Kaos (Netflix): Jeff Goldblum reigns as Zeus in this epic struggle between gods, humans and everything in between. Premieres August 29th.



Superman & Lois (CW): The final season of Superman & Lois premieres on The CW on October 17th.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

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Sci Fi TV News: A New Star Trek Series, a Prequel to The Boys, Premiere Dates, and More Announcements from SDCC 2024

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

This weekend has seen quite a lot of sci fi TV announcements coming out of San Diego Comic Con, so I have split out the news section of the weekly Sci Fi TV Highlights column to its own post. This week’s listings are available here, and a post with the trailers coming out of SDCC is available at this link.

At the Star Trek panel, a new series was revealed and this one will be an action-comedy. It does not have a title yet, but following is the description provided by The Hollywood Reporter:

The new series is intended to be an action comedy that, according to Paramount, centers on Federation outsiders who are serving on a gleaming resort planet. Not only that, their day-to-day exploits are being broadcast to the entire quadrant.

Justin Simien (The Haunted Mansion) will be developing the series with Alex Kurtzman and Star Trek: Lower Decks voice actor Tawny Newsome will be onboard as well.

The Boys will be coming to an end at Amazon with its upcoming fifth season, but as I previously said, it will continue with spin-offs and one of those was announced at Comic-Con.  To be titled Vought Rising, it will act as a prequel to the main series and following is the description that was given:

It’s a twisted murder mystery about the origins of Vought in the 1950s, the early exploits of Soldier Boy, and the diabolical maneuvers of a Supe known to fans as Stormfront, who was then going by the name Clara Vought.

Jensen Ackles and Aya Cash will headline the series, returning as Soldier Boy and Stormfront.  There is no targeted premiere date at this point, but I would expect this one to arrive at some point in 2025.

And speaking of spin-offs, the Doctor Who-linked series The War Between the Land and the Sea, which on focuses on the military organization UNIT, is now officially moving forward at Disney+ and the BBC.  Following is the logline:

When a fearsome and ancient species emerges from the ocean, dramatically revealing themselves to humanity, an international crisis is triggered. With the entire population at risk, UNIT steps into action as the land and sea wage war.

This will be a five-part series which will star Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw and will see the return of Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient.  Russell T Davies has written the series with Pete McTighe (A Discovery of Witches) and it will feature the classic Doctor Who villians the Sea Devils.  Production is set to begin in Fall and the show should premiere at some point in 2025.

Five renewals have come out of SDCC so far with The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC) getting a third season announcement, Invincible (Prime Video) getting extended to a fourth season, Solar Opposites (Hulu) getting a sixth season, Krapopolis (FOX) getting renewed through a fourth season, and Blood of Zeus (Netflix) getting a third and final season.

In casting news, Steve Zahn (War for the Planet of the Apes) will be entering Apple TV+’s Silo for its upcoming second season.  In addition, Daniel Diemer will be joining the cast of Percy Jackson and the Olympians in its second season as Tyson the cyclops.  And Michael Patrick O’Brien will be coming onboard What We Do in the Shadows as a new vampire in that show’s upcoming sixth and final season.  Also, Futurama will have some pretty notable guest stars in its twelfth season including Danny Trejo, Ana Ortiz, Bill Nye, Kyle MacLachlan, LeVar Burton, and Neil deGrasse Tyson

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Premieres:

Quite a number of premiere dates were announced at Comic Con, and following is a rundown of those.

Kaos (Netflix) August 29th

From Season 3 (MGM+) September 22nd

Krapopolis Season 2 (FOX) September 29th

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 (Prime Video) October 3rd

Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (Netflix) October 17th

The Penguin (HBO) October 19th

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 (Paramount+) October 24th

Silo Season 2 (Apple TV+) November 15th

You can keep up with all the premieres of sci fi and fantasy television shows at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV News: A New Star Trek Series, a Prequel to The Boys, Premiere Dates, and More Announcements from SDCC 2024 appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Listings: Premieres for Batman: Caped Crusader and Futurama S12, Season Finale for House of the Dragon

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


Batman: Caped Crusader (Prime Video): Welcome to Gotham City, where the corrupt outnumber the good, criminals run rampant and law-abiding citizens live in a constant state of fear. Forged in the fire of tragedy, wealthy socialite Bruce Wayne becomes something both more and less than human—the BATMAN. His one-man crusade attracts unexpected allies within the GCPD and City Hall, but his heroic actions spawn deadly, unforeseen ramifications. The first episode will be available for streaming on Thursday.



Futurama (Hulu): While delivering pizza on New Year’s Eve 1999, Philip J. Fry is accidentally cryonically frozen and thawed out one thousand years into the future. The first episode of Season 12 will be available for streaming on Thursday.

Schedule Notes:

Wrapping up this week is HBO’s House of the Dragon which will have its Season 2 finale on Sunday. That show has already been renewed for a third year. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for July and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Jul 29 – Aug 4

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday July 29
Futurama (Hulu) Streaming Season 12 Premiere
Tuesday July 30
No Genre Entries
Wednesday July 31
The Ark (Syfy) Streaming
Sunny (Apple TV+) Streaming
Time Bandits (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday August 1
Batman: Caped Crusader (Amazon) Streaming Series Premiere
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (Max) Streaming
Friday August 2
No Genre Entries
Saturday August 3
No Genre Entries
Sunday August 4
House of the Dragon (HBO) 9:00-10:00 Season Finale
Snowpiercer (AMC) 9:00-10:00
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) 10:00-11:00

Since there were quite a lot of sci fi TV announcements coming out of the San Diego Comic Con this weekend, I have split the news section into its own post and you can find that at this link along with a post covering the trailers from SDCC at this link.



More from 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.

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.

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The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All Time: Lost (2004)

Od: johnnyjay

The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.

What Is It?

An airplane crashes on a deserted island, and a group of survivors must struggle against the dangers of this unknown and perilous locale to stay alive. As they spend more time on the island, they discover that it has many mysteries and that they may have been brought here for a reason.

Aired: ABC, 2004-2010, 6 Seasons Totaling 121 Episodes

Created By: Jeffrey Lieber, J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof

Starring: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson, Elizabeth Mitchell, Naveen Andrews

Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:


When Lost arrived on the scene in the fall of 2004, there was very little in the way of sci-fi/fantasy television on the Big Four (ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC) broadcast networks (more on that at this link). It turned into a surprise hit, and for better or worse, plenty of genre entries (many with similar premises) started to show up on the schedule. It re-energized interest in sci-fi TV–even though it kept its genre elements in the background at first–and proved that a series like this could draw large audiences in front of the television during prime time.

Lost succeeded because it delivered an intriguing story with mysteries wrapped within mysteries that captured the attention of viewers and kept them engaged. The audience wanted to unravel the story and they returned each week to search for the next piece of the puzzle. The show also successfully managed to reinvent itself regularly so that it did not descend into formula and deliver a rehash of the same plotlines each week. While story arcs had already become familiar to genre audiences (Babylon 5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The X-Files, etc.), Lost basically made that a mandatory part of genre shows from that point forward. Episodic sci-fi TV pretty much died out at this point as audiences demanded more intricate, planned-out storylines.

But ultimately, it is the characters that brought this show to life along with the actors that portrayed them. Each character has a well-developed backstory, and we come to know them through the flashbacks as well as their interactions with others on the island. This helped draw in the audience along with the many mysteries that unfolded across each episode, and the cast also had perfect chemistry that helped raise the show to the next level.

Despite the fact that the ending of the series left many disappointed, the journey is worth the effort. The show had its many twists and turns and brought in a plethora of characters (practically requiring a scorecard to keep up with everybody), but it remained engaging from start to finish. Whether you approve of how it ended or not, you have to acknowledge Lost‘s accomplishments and recognize it as one of the greatest sci-fi (or fantasy?) TV shows of all time.

Argument Against:

It is hard to argue that Lost did not get off to a strong start as the show came out of nowhere and delivered a hit with a concept that seemed very limited at first. But once its inaugural season ended, things started to derail for the show. The writers had a plan of sorts for the first season, but it wasn’t fully fleshed out to carry the series to its endpoint (just look at the early writer’s bible to see how it sets up the initial tale but does not go much beyond that). After that point, they pretty much made up the story on the fly for each additional season. So the creative team had not even completed the design of the puzzle while the viewers were in the process of putting it together.

And then there was the ending. No specific spoilers, but it did disappoint. The final season actually seemed to be on track to deliver a hell of a finale, and its flash-sideways segments added some interesting character insights. But ultimately it fell apart with a conclusion that many had been predicting for years and that the creative team kept denying they would deliver. So while the first season or so of Lost set up what could have been an all-time great series, it ended up meandering across its six-season run and ultimately flubbed the ending, keeping it from counting as an all-time great sci-fi TV entry.

Johnny Jay’s Take:

The first season of Lost is one of those rare perfect seasons where everything came together without a hitch to deliver a television drama hitting on all cylinders. Even though it had genre elements, the storytelling at first did not hinge on that, and the show attracted a broad audience beyond just sci-fi TV fans. It did so because it was well-written, well-acted, well-directed, and just damn good. It was also very different from the other options on prime time, and its uniqueness was yet another factor that made it stand out.

From that point, your opinion on how the show proceeded may vary, and the fact is that the creative team was truly making up the story as they went along (something that hurt 2003’s Battlestar Galactica in its later seasons, more on that at this link). But as far as I’m concerned, that is fine because they still managed to put together one good season after the next. The writers would essentially plan out each season at the beginning of the production year, and they found plenty of ways to reinvent the formula and keep the show fresh. While I understand that some were disappointed with the finale, I liked it, and I was not expecting them to offer a nice tidy wrap-up to each plot point. Some ambiguity was definitely needed (anybody remember the classic finale to The Prisoner?), and the show provided sufficient resolution as far as I am concerned. That, along with the influence Lost has had on the genre since its premiere, make it an important sci-fi TV entry, and it certainly should count as one of the greatest of all time.

Where Can You Watch It?

The entire series is available on Blu-ray and DVD as well as VOD. It is currently available for streaming on Hulu and Netflix.

Do you consider Lost to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy TV shows of all time, or did the show derail with its later seasons and finale? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.



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.

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The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, Invincible, and Solar Opposites Have Received Renewal Announcements at SDCC

Od: johnnyjay

Three more renewal announcements came out of Comic Con yesterday (I covered the Krapopolis announcement at this link), and I expect even more over the last day or say. AMC has decided to extend Daryl Dixon’s journey in the TWD spin-off The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon and will be bringing that one back for a third season. Its same-day linear viewing was not spectacular in its first season, but it made up for that with delayed and digital viewing, and the network wants to keep its Walking Dead franchise alive. The show returns for its second season on September 29th, and with this announcement it will probably start production on the third year in short order. There has been no word yet on a third season of The Walking Dead: Dead City.

The Walking Dead: Daryll Dixon follows Daryl who sets out to find Rick Grimes but somehow gets carried across the ocean to France. He journeys across that country encountering the survivors there while also trying to find a way back home. It stars Norman Reedus, Clémence Poésy, Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebouaney, and Melissa McBride will be joining the cast in its second season.

Robert Kirkman announced at Comic Con that the animated superhero series Invincible will be continuing to a fourth season on Prime Video. That show has not performed nearly as well in viewership as Amazon’s other superhero series The Boys, but since it is an animated entry it is not as expensive to produce and it has still drawn decent viewing numbers across its first two seasons. The third season of the series was produced concurrently with the second and it should arrive in early 2025. That could then have the fourth season on target to premiere about one year later.

Invincible focuses on the titular hero who is the son of the powerful superhero Omni-Man. But as he starts up his career as a crime fighter, he learns that his father has some dark secrets in his past. The voice cast includes Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, J. K. Simmons, Zachary Quinto, and Gillian Jacobs and it is based on the long-running comic of the same name by Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman.

Another animated entry that received a renewal announcement at SDCC is Hulu’s sci fi comedy Solar Opposites. That show is heading into its fifth season on August 12th, and the streamer has committed to keeping it around through a sixth season at least. The fourth season only spent one week in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, but it has performed relatively well for a Hulu original. The streaming services tend to cap off their originals around the third or fourth year, but animated entries sometimes go longer and it is possible that the show could stick around for a few more years.

Solar Opposites follow four aliens who escape from their dying planet and crashland on Earth into a move-in ready home in suburban America. The voice cast includes Justin Roiland, Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone, and Mary Mack.

All three of these shows already had renewals in place and these announcements are just extending their runs, so they do not impact the current Cancellation/Renewal Score. At this point, the score stands at 32 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (42% of shows tracked) vs. 21 cancelled and ending (28%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

We are almost at the end of the 2023-24 season and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

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Krapopolis Renewed for Fourth Season by FOX

Od: johnnyjay

FOX is ordering more krap . . . Krapopolis, that is. Series creator Dan Harmon (Community, Rick & Morty) announced at Comic Con that the show has been renewed through its fourth season. The network has been all-in on this show from the beginning, and even though its premiere was delayed all the way from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023, FOX renewed it through a third season before a single episode had aired. It performed well in the ratings in its freshman year, mostly due to a boost it received from the lead-in of NFL on Sunday nights. Once the football season ended, its numbers dropped, though they were pretty much in line with the other animated shows that aired on Sundays. The second season is currently set to premiere on September 29th.

Since this show was already renewed, this announcement does not impact the current Cancellation/Renewal Score. That stands at 32 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (42% of shows tracked) vs. 21 cancelled and ending (28%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

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.

We are almost at the end of the 2023-24 season and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post Krapopolis Renewed for Fourth Season by FOX appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: House of the Dragon Rises in the Nielsen Rankings, The Ark Returns Down, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

House of the Dragon (HBO, Status: Renewed): For the first full week that the Nielsen charts measured this show’s second season, it improved to Number 2 in the list of acquired shows with an estimated 1.23 billion minutes of viewing. That is the highest viewership the show has seen thus far, surpassing the 1.02 billion mark it achieved in its first season. Not surprisingly, this one has already been renewed for a third season.

The Ark (Syfy, Status: Renewal Possible): Nielsen ratings data for linear viewing has been hard to come by lately, but TVSeriesFinale.com does have the premiere ratings for this show’s second season and it posted a 0.04 score based on same-day viewing in the 18-49 demographic with 240K total viewers. That is down from its first season average of a 0.06 rating, and not a strong return for the show. I will watch how this one tracks in the coming weeks, but it could be shifting to Bubble status shortly.

The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy (Prime Video, Status: Renewed): This animated sci fi comedy arrived on Prime Video with little in the way of promotion in February 2024 and did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings. But apparently it was renewed in advance for a second season and work on that is already underway. Whether it will continue beyond that remains to be seen.

Beacon 23 (Syfy, Status: On the Bubble): This show had originally been a joint production by AMC and Spectrum and had been picked up for two seasons, but those two venues backed away from it before it aired. MGM+ acquired the series and has now aired the two seasons, though it received little in the way of promotion and that may have just been a burn-off run. They have not indicated whether they have an interest in carrying it into a third season and I am going to shift this one to Bubble status.

Velma (Max, Status: On the Bubble): People were surprised that this show received a second season after the first was pretty widely panned, but apparently that had been planned in advance. It did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings across its two seasons, and it currently holds only 39% on the Tomatometer scale and a 10% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. I am going to assume that a third season is unlikely, so I am moving this one to Bubble status.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

This past week brought two more cancellations with Halo getting the ax from Paramount+ and Reginald the Vampire coming to an end at Syfy. In addition, apparently a fifteenth season of Doctor Who was part of the Disney partnership with the BBC and that is in the works, and The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy was renewed for a second season in advance as mentioned above. So factoring in all of that, the current score is at 21 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (28% of shows tracked) vs. 31 renewed (42%). 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 74
Cancelled 15 20.3%
Ending 6 8.1% 28.4%
Renewed 31 41.9%
On the Bubble 5 6.8%
Renewal Possible 17 23.0%
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.

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Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premieres for Time Bandits and The Dragon Prince S6, the Duffer Bros. Have a New Series in the Works, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


Time Bandits (Apple TV+): The eccentric crew of bandits embark on epic adventures while evil forces threaten their conquests and life as they know it. As the group transports through time and space, the gang stumbles upon fascinating worlds of the distant past while seeking out treasure, depending on Kevin to shed light on each situation. The Time Bandits witness the creation of Stonehenge, see the Trojan Horse in action, escape dinosaurs in the prehistoric ages, wreak havoc during medieval times, experience the ice age, ancient civilizations, the Harlem Renaissance, and much more along the way. The first two episodes will be available for streaming on Wednesday.



The Dragon Prince (Netflix): Two human princes forge an unlikely bond with the elfin assassin sent to kill them, embarking on an epic quest to bring peace to their warring lands. All episodes will be available for streaming on Friday.

Schedule Notes:

Somehow I missed two premieres last week, so I will mention them here. The Ark had its Season 2 premiere on Syfy on Wednesday and that episode will get an encore run on Monday at 12 AM EST. Also, Hit Monkey returned for its second season on Hulu and all episodes of that show are available for streaming. Wrapping up this week is Domino Day on AMC and there has been no word on a second season of that show yet. Also wrapping up is The Lazarus Project which has its series finale on Sunday at 9 PM EST on TNT. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for July and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Jul 22 – Jul 28

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday July 22
No Genre Entries
Tuesday July 23
No Genre Entries
Wednesday July 24
The Ark (Syfy) Streaming
Sunny (Apple TV+) Streaming
Time Bandits (Apple TV+) Streaming Series Premiere
Thursday July 25
Domino Day (AMC+) Streaming Season Finale
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (Max) Streaming
Friday July 26
The Dragon Prince (Netflix) Streaming Season 4 Premiere
Saturday July 27
No Genre Entries
Sunday July 28
House of the Dragon (HBO) 9:00-10:00
The Lazarus Project (TNT) 9:00-10:00 Series Finale
Snowpiercer (AMC) 9:00-10:00
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) 10:00-11:00

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

Stranger Things will be wrapping up at Netflix with its upcoming fifth season, but the streamer will stay in business with the Duffer Brothers as they have received the greenlight to start on a new horror series. Titled Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen, it will follow a bride and groom in the week leading up to their ill-fated wedding as things start to go wrong with the nuptials. It is being billed as a limited series, and it will likely be 2025 at the earliest before it premieres on the streaming service.

The workplace comedy Area 51 is in the works at CBS from Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt who previously created the short-lived fantasy series God Friended Me for the network. According to Deadline, the series “follows the humans and Aliens that work together at the country’s most mysterious place”. It is unclear if this is a pilot order or a straight-to-series project, but the network will be targeting this for a 2024 premiere.

Two genre entries were sent to the Network Executioner this past week as Syfy has cancelled its horror dramedy Reginald the Vampire after two seasons and Paramount+ has cancelled Halo: The Series after two seasons.  The latter show is currently being shopped around to other venues.

In production news, the long-in-the-works Alien series at FX has finally received the official title of Alien: Earth.  Noah Hawley is attached to that and it is working towards a 2025 premiere.   In addition, the third season of Foundation has wrapped up filming which should have the show on track for a Spring or Summer 2025 premiere.  And Jonathan Frakes has come onboard as director for the six-episode series Arthur C. Clarke’s Venus Prime.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers


Dune: Prophecy (HBO): Set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy traces the origins of the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. Premieres in November.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premieres for Time Bandits and The Dragon Prince S6, the Duffer Bros. Have a New Series in the Works, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Halo Has Been Cancelled by Paramount+ after Two Seasons, But It Will Get Shopped Around

Od: johnnyjay

Halo: The Series will not continue at Paramount+ as the show has been cancelled by that streamer after two seasons. The most recent season arrived in February 2024 and it spent five weeks in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, averaging an estimated 360 million minutes of viewing per week during that time, which is quite good for an original on that streaming service. It has also been fairly well-received by critics, currently holding an 80% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. A reason for the cancellation has not been given, but the show is expensive to produce, and the streamer has been going through some cost-cutting measures. Evil is another genre entry that has been cancelled by Paramount+ even though that one has been performing quite well in viewership in its final season. These cancellations may be signaling a scaling back of scripted originals for the streamer as the post-Peak TV era continues to take its toll. Xbox, 343 Industries, and Amblin Television will shop the property around and it should draw some interest. Fans should also make a Call to Action on the social networks to help with this effort and get other venues interested in picking up the series.

This announcement brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season to 21 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (28% of shows tracked) vs. 29 renewed (39%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Halo takes place in the 26th century when humans find themselves at war with the alien alliance known as The Covenant. Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 is a super-soldier of the Spartan-II program and he leads a team fighting for the survival of humanity. It stars Pablo Schreiber, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, and Bentley Kalu and it is based on the Xbox video game series of the same name.

We are almost at the end of the 2023-24 season and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post Halo Has Been Cancelled by Paramount+ after Two Seasons, But It Will Get Shopped Around appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: The Boys and House of the Dragon Enter the Nielsen Rankings, Supacell Continues to Top Netflix Top 10, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

The Boys (Prime Video, Status: Renewed): This superhero satire entered the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of its fourth season premiere. It landed at Number 2 with an estimated 1.2 billion minutes watched across just four days. The show has been renewed for a fifth and final season, and I expect it to continue on with spin-offs for several years.

House of the Dragon (HBO, Status: Renewed): This show entered the Nielsen Rankings under the Acquired shows for its run on Max at the Number 8 with 741 million minutes watched. That represents just one evening for viewing for the second season premiere plus any of the first season episodes that were streamed that week. The linear ratings have not been as strong, but not surprisingly this one has already been renewed for a third season.

Supacell (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This British-made series has now spent three weeks in the Netflix Top 10, two at the Number 1 slot. There has been no word on a second-season renewal at this point, but I expect that the streamer will be interested in bringing this one back.

Futurama (Hulu, Status: Renewed): This animated sci fi comedy slipped into the Nielsen Rankings at Number 10 with 241 million minutes of viewing over a month and a half before its twelfth season premiere. It has already been renewed for two more seasons, so the hi-jinks should continue for several more years.

Scavengers Reign (Max/Netflix, Status: Cancelled): This animated sci fi series has not made it into the Netflix Top 10 in its encore run on that streaming service which definitely puts a damper on the hopes that it would get a second season. However, it did just get an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Animated Program which could give it a boost. Fans should definitely take the opportunity to get the show trending on the social networks and bring it more attention in an attempt to convince Netflix to keep it going.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

On Monday, the cancellation of Syfy’s horror dramedy Reginald the Vampire was announced which brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season to 20 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (28% of shows tracked) vs. 29 renewed (40%). 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 72
Cancelled 14 19.4%
Ending 6 8.3% 27.8%
Renewed 29 40.3%
On the Bubble 3 4.2%
Renewal Possible 20 27.8%
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.

The post Cancellation Watch: The Boys and House of the Dragon Enter the Nielsen Rankings, Supacell Continues to Top Netflix Top 10, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Supacell, Tatiana Maslany Has a New Series in the Works, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


Supacell (Neflix): When five ordinary South Londoners discover they have extraordinary powers, it’s down to one man to bring them together to save the woman he loves. All episodes will be available for streaming on Thursday.

Schedule Notes:

Wrapping up this week is AMC’s Interview with the Vampire which will have its Season 2 finale on Sunday. That one has not been renewed for a third season yet, but its prospects looking promising at this point. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for June and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Jun 24 – Jun 30

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday June 24
No Genre Entries
Tuesday June 25
The Acolyte (Disney+) Streaming
Wednesday June 26
Reginald the Vampire (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
Dark Matter (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday June 27
The Boys (Amazon) Streaming
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Supacell (Netflix) Streaming Series Premiere
Friday June 28
No Genre Entries
Saturday June 29
No Genre Entries
Sunday June 30
Interview with the Vampire (AMC) 9:00-10:00 Season Finale
House of the Dragon (HBO) 9:00-10:00
The Lazarus Project (TNT) 9:00-10:00
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) 10:00-11:00

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

Amazon has ordered a pilot for the horror comedy The Nightbeast which stars Tatiana Maslany (Orphan Black, She-Hulk). It comes from Leah Rachel (Chambers) and Travis Jackson (Hemlock Grove) and Deadline gives the following description for the project:

The pilot follows a young mother who is unsatisfied with her seemingly perfect suburban life, so she begins an affair with the boogeyman in her son’s closet – a surprisingly sexy man called the Nightbeast. But this harmless affair she thought to be a figment of her imagination begins to have unexpected consequences, as her two worlds increasingly begin to collide in this seductive, darkly comedic tale.

The streamer will likely be considering this for its 2024-25 lineup.

Jared Padalecki has been invited by Eric Kripke to join the cast of The Boys for its upcoming fifth (and final) season, and the actor has said yes.  His role in the series has not been determined yet, but Padalecki says that he is looking forward to working with Kripke who he previously teamed with on Supernatural.  Former co-star Jensen Ackles is currently part of the cast of The Boys as Soldier Boy and Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who played John Winchester on Supernatural) is also on the show.

In renewal news, Syfy’s Resident Alien will continue to a fourth season, but it will be moving to the USA Network and getting its budget cut.  More on that at this link.

In scheduling news, George R.R. Martin has said that filming has begun on The Hedge Knight and that the six-episode series should premiere in early 2025.  For the 2024 schedule, the animated Harley Quinn spin-off Kite Man, Hell Yeah! has received a July 18th premiere date on Max.  And The Penguin, which is a spin-off from The Batman, will be arriving at some point in September.  You can see the trailer for that one below and you can see all the sci fi and fantasy TV premieres for June and beyond at this link.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers


The Penguin (Max): Starring Colin Farrell as The Penguin, this DC Studios series continues the epic crime saga that began with Matt Reeves’ blockbuster movie The Batman. Premieres September 2024.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Supacell, Tatiana Maslany Has a New Series in the Works, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: House of the Dragon Returns Strong, The Acolyte Has Good Debut, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

House of the Dragon (HBO, Status: Renewed): This fantasy series drew 7.8 million total views across all platforms according to numbers provided by HBO. That is down from the ten million viewers it had for its series premiere last year, but still a strong showing for its second season return. House of the Dragon has been renewed for a third season and, according to George R.R. Martin, early work on a fourth year has already begun.

The Acolyte (Disney+, Status: Renewal Possible): This Star Wars entry pulled in 11.1 million viewers globally in its first five days according to numbers provided by Disney. That is the best premiere for a streaming original on that service this year and improves its chances of continuing to a second season. There were talks that it could be one-and-done because the show is quite expensive, but if the viewership holds up, perhaps it will continue to a second season. Fans should definitely make some noise on the social networks to support this one, though, because a renewal is not guaranteed at this point.

Interview with the Vampire (AMC, Status: Renewal Possible): The same-day ratings for this show have been down by over 50% from its first year, currently averaging a 0.04 score in the 18-49 demographic, but it may be making up the slack with digital viewing on AMC+. And showrunner Rolin Jones just re-upped his deal with AMC which is a good sign for this series. In addition, the network has invested a lot in its Immortal Universe which includes Mayfair Witches and is based on the novels by Anne Rice. At this point, a third-season renewal is looking like a good bet for Interview with the Vampire despite the low linear viewing numbers.

Evil (Paramount+, Status: Cancelled): This show held at Number 2 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for a second week in a row, pulling in an estimated 700 million minutes of viewing (which is boosted by an encore run of its first two seasons on Netflix). Paramount+ announced the show’s currently streaming fourth season as its last, but if fans want to fight for it to continue, this should definitely give them some fuel. They should take to the social networks and point out how well it is performing, and perhaps Paramount+ or Netflix will consider giving the show a fifth year.

Doctor Who (Disney+, Status: Renewal Possible): This series has still not made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings two weeks after its premiere on Disney+, and its linear viewing in Britain has slipped to a low point. I don’t believe that puts the show in danger of being cancelled since it is pretty much an institution worldwide at this point, but it could signal some changes for future seasons in an attempt to try and turn viewership around. I will continue to keep a close eye on this one, but its move to Disney+ has not drawn the viewership expected so far.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

Two renewal announcements have come in over the last few days with HBO’s House of the Dragon getting the greenlight for a third season and Resident Alien getting picked up for a fourth season (though it will be moving to USA). That brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season to 28 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (41% of shows tracked) vs. 16 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 69
Cancelled 10 14.5%
Ending 6 8.7% 23.2%
Renewed 28 40.6%
On the Bubble 3 4.3%
Renewal Possible 22 31.9%
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.

The post Cancellation Watch: House of the Dragon Returns Strong, The Acolyte Has Good Debut, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Resident Alien Gets Renewed for Fourth Season and Will Be Moving to a New Home

Od: johnnyjay

Syfy’s Resident Alien has been renewed for a fourth season, but it won’t be on Syfy anymore. For the show’s fourth year, it will be moving to sister network USA which is also under the NBCUniversal Umbrella. That network had mostly moved away from scripted programming the last few years but is trying to bolster its lineup for the 2024-25 season. The move will also entail a “significant budget reduction” according to Deadline because USA does not have a lot of money to put into its originals, and this is somewhat of a gambling seeing the linear viewing among the cable channels and broadcast networks continues to decline.

For those who wonder why the show did not stay at Syfy with a higher budget, that was apparently not an option. Its viewership on that network had dropped to its lowest numbers in three years during its third season, and the show would have been cancelled if not for the move to USA (I have had it On the Bubble throughout its third season). A large part of the reason that Resident Alien will continue is the viewership from its encore run on Netflix. The first two seasons were released there in February of this year and the show spent five weeks in the streamer’s Top 10. It is unclear if the fourth season is intended as the show’s last, and that may depend on the performance of prior seasons in streaming. The current season of the show will continue to be available to stream on NBCUniversal’s Peacock and the fourth season will likely premiere at some point in Spring 2025.

This announcement brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season to 28 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (41% of shows tracked) vs. 16 cancelled and ending (23%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

Resident Alien follows an extraterrestrial being who crashlands on Earth and takes over the identity of a doctor named Harry. He is on a mission to kill all humans on the planet, but his resolve starts to waiver as he spends more time with the people he was sent to destroy. It stars Alan Tudyk, Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, and Levi Fiehler and it is based on the comic book of the same name created by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse.

We are almost at the end of the 2023-24 season and I expect more announcements to come over the next week or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post Resident Alien Gets Renewed for Fourth Season and Will Be Moving to a New Home appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Orphan Black Echoes, George R.R. Martin Claims Ten Thousand Ships Is on Again, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC): Orphan Black Echoes follows a group of women as they weave their way into each other’s lives and embark on a thrilling journey, unravelling the mystery of their identity.  Premieres Sunday at 10 PM EST.

Schedule Notes:

Doctor Who wraps up its fourteenth season this week with its season finale on Saturday. That show has not received an official renewal, but the assumption is that it will continue to its fifteenth season. Ahead of the finale, a new episode of Tales of the TARDIS will arrive on Wednesday on Disney+. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for June and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Jun 17 – Jun 23

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday June 17
No Genre Entries
Tuesday June 18
The Acolyte (Disney+) Streaming
Wednesday June 19
Reginald the Vampire (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
Dark Matter (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday June 20
The Boys (Amazon) Streaming
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Tales of the TARDIS (Disney+) Streaming Special
Friday June 21
No Genre Entries
Saturday June 22
Doctor Who (Disney+) Streaming Season Finale
Sunday June 23
Interview with the Vampire (AMC) 9:00-10:00
House of the Dragon (HBO) 9:00-10:00
The Lazarus Project (TNT) 9:00-10:00
Orphan Black: Echoes (AMC) 10:00-11:00 Series Premiere

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

The Game of Thrones spin-off Ten Thousand Ships that had previously been scrapped by HBO now appears to back in the works, and George R.R. Martin has announced that Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eboni Booth is working on the pilot. The Hollywood Reporter gives the following description for the project:

Set 1,000 years before the events of Game of Thrones, the series tells the story of warrior queen Princess Nymeria — the founder of the kingdom of Dorne — and the surviving Rhoynars who traveled from Essos to Dorne following their defeat by Valyrian and their dragons.

The show has not been officially greenlighted yet and HBO has had no comment on the status of the project at this point. But for now, this appears to be back in the GoT spin-off queue.

A Blue Beetle animated series is in the works at Warner Bros. Animation and DC Studios, and the director and writer of the film, Angel Manuel Soto and Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, will be onboard as executive producers. According to Deadline, the show will build on the movie and will focus on Jaime Reyes as the third version of the Blue Beetle character. A network or streaming service has not been announced yet, but this will likely end up landing a Max.

In renewal and cancellation news, HBO has announced that House of the Dragon will be continuing to a third season while Amazon’s The Boys will be wrapping up with its fifth season.

In scheduling news, Netflix has announced June 27th as the premiere for its British superhero series Supacell.  You can see the trailer for that at this link.

In production news, James Gunn has confirmed that filming on Peacemaker Season 2 has finally begun. That will likely put it on target for a 2025 premiere.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers


Sunny (Apple TV+): Sunny stars Rashida Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny, one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company. Though at first, Suzie resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, gradually they develop an unexpected friendship. Together they uncover the dark truth of what really happened to Suzie’s family and become dangerously enmeshed in a world Suzie never knew existed. Premieres July 10th.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Orphan Black Echoes, George R.R. Martin Claims Ten Thousand Ships Is on Again, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Obscurities: Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors (1985)

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Obscurities: A look at sci fi and fantasy TV shows that made it to the air only briefly before getting cast to the television wasteland.

[Updated]

What Is It? In the setup for this animated series, the scientist Audric attempts to create a strain of plants that can prevent starvation through the galaxy. But when a supernova occurs nearby, it changes the plants into the Monster Minds who have evil designs and who command plant clone troopers that can transform into vehicles of destruction. Audric flees with one half of the root that can destroy the Monster Minds and the other half is entrusted to his son Jayce who is also given the Legendary Ring of Light. In addition, he commands the Lightning League of vehicles and must use those to thwart the schemes of the Monster Minds while also trying to find his father.

Aired: Syndication, 1985-86, 1 Season Totaling 65 Episodes

Developed By: J. Michael Straczynski

Starring: Darrin Baker, Len Carlson, Luba Goy, Charles Jolliffe, Valerie Politis

Is It Must Watch Sci Fi TV? No. But it may be of interest to fans of ’80s animation, and the episodes written by J. Michael Straczynski are certainly worth a look.

The Skinny: The 1980s was a boom time for animation, especially on weekday afternoon television. The regulations on children’s programing had been relaxed and product placement was allowed to be incorporated into shows aimed at younger audiences. This led to a surge in animated offerings with shows like Transformers, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, G.I. Joe, and more hitting the small screen and heavily featuring toys that could also be found on store shelves. Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors jumped on this trend, coming from the French-owned studio DIC which had worked on shows like Inspector Gadget and The Mysterious Cities of Gold and would later produce The Real Ghostbusters. Mattel had created the Wheeled Warriors toy line and had asked DIC to produce an animated series to help promote them. Among those involved with developing the show and writing episodes was a young J. Michael Straczynski who got his start in the business writing for the He-Man and She-Ra TV shows.

The premise for this show was somewhat convoluted (even though it had some interesting sci fi elements), and it quickly descended into the formula of the good guy Lightning League battling the latest scheme of the evil Monster Minds each week. And the characters were all pretty much copy-and-paste, as you would expect from this type of series. You had the impetuous young hero who often jumped into action without thinking things through, the cute robot (or quasi-robot in this case) that provided comic relief, the wise wizard who helped guide the hero, the Han Solo-type who acted like he was only in it for the money but always ended up doing the right thing, and the girl character who was mostly there for the female viewers to identify with. In addition, the bad guys were the typical scheming villains whose only purpose was to provide a weekly obstacle to the heroes. JMS made the comment that he tried to “hijack a dopey concept and make it into something more”, and the thirteen stories he wrote are a little better than the average episodes. But not enough that this counts as a sci fi TV gem. It is mostly interesting as an example of his formative work and a show with a sci fi concept that could have turned into something more if it wasn’t focused primarily on selling toys. It ultimately faded as a forgotten obscurity from the animation overload of the ’80s, but it is still worth a look for JMS completists.

Cancelled Too Soon? Sort of. Even though Jayce was supposed to be searching for his father, the show did not have much of a story arc beyond that and most of the episodes delivered stand-alone tales. And it had a sixty-five episode run which was typical for animated shows at that time (it could run five days a week for thirteen weeks without repeating). But since the show did not prove popular and the toys did not sell well, it was not continued beyond its original episode order. A movie was planned that would have acted as a finale for the series, but it was scrapped due to the lack of popularity of the property.

Should It be Rebooted? Perhaps. The original series was not great because its primary purpose was to schill for the toys. But there were actually some interesting concepts behind the whole thing and if the right creative team were to guide the revival this could turn into a decent bit of sci fi animation. Quite a number of ’80s shows have been going through the reboot queue, so it is not impossible that Jayce could get another spin. Though it seems unlikely this one would follow that route seeing as it is mostly forgotten, unless someone like JMS himself was pushing for it.

Interesting Fact: Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors is one of several television shows aimed at younger viewers that J. Michael Straczynski worked on early in his career. As mentioned above, he wrote for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe as well as She-Ra: Princess of Power, and he would later work on The Real Ghostbusters animated series as well as the live-action/CGI series Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future (more about the latter show at Cult-SciFi.com).

Where Can You Watch It? The show has been released on DVD, and you can purchase it VOD from Apple. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services, though you can find episodes on YouTube.

Retro Toys: The Wheeled Warriors line was rather extensive and it had some pretty cool vehicles and accessories. Though interestingly enough the characters included with the vehicles had no relation to the series because that came later. The toy sales had already proved disappointing by the time the series debuted, and the line was discontinued not long after that. Nowadays, they are fetching a pretty high price among collectors.

Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com

For a fascinating and comprehensive look at 1980’s animated television shows, be sure to check out Rise and Fall of the 80s Toon Empire.

More Sci Fi TV Obscurities at This Link



More from CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Sci Fi TV Update posts on Fridays. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site  for breaking news and updates.

Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.

The post Sci Fi TV Obscurities: Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors (1985) appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

House of the Dragon Will Continue to a Third Season

Od: johnnyjay

Just a few days ahead of the Season 2 premiere of Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, HBO has confirmed that the show will be continuing to a third season. The news does not come as a huge surprise as the show drew huge digital viewership numbers in its first season (and decent linear viewing stats), and it is a continuation of the premium cable network’s lucrative GoT franchise. HBO Executive Vice President Francesca Orsi had the following to say about the renewal:

George, Ryan, and the rest of our incredible executive producers, cast, and crew, have reached new heights with the phenomenal second season of House of the Dragon. We are in awe of the dragon-sized effort the entire team has put into the creation of a spectacular season two, with a scope and scale that is only rivaled by its heart. We could not be more thrilled to continue the story of House Targaryen and watch this team burn bright again for season three.

George R.R. Martin already announced that work was progressing on Seasons 3 and 4 of the show, but there was no official renewal in place at that time. And it is possible that this show could wrap up around its fourth season for several reasons. For one, it is very expensive to produce and the television networks and streaming services have been trying to cut back on costs. Also, it is based on just one book, so there is not as much source material driving it, though it is always possible that it could carry on beyond the Fire & Blood novel it is based on. Don’t be surprised if its fourth or fifth season gets announced as its last, even though the showrunner has said he expects the end to be “many years down the road”, but that should at least give the creative team sufficient time to cover the story of the Targaryen conquest.

With this renewal, the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season now stands at 27 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (39% of shows tracked) vs. 16 cancelled and ending (23%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

House of the Dragon takes place 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones and tells the story of the House of Targaryen and how the Seven Kingdoms are united by the Targaryen conquest. It stars Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Emma D’Arcy, Rhys Ifans, and Steve Toussaint and is based on George R.R. Martin’s novel Fire & Blood.

We are almost at the end of the 2023-24 season and I expect more announcements to come over the next week or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post House of the Dragon Will Continue to a Third Season appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: Arcane Will End With 2nd Season on Netflix, Evil Rises in the Nielsen Rankings, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

Arcane (Netflix, Status: Renewed): The animated fantasy series Arcane will be ending with its upcoming second season which will arrive in November 2024. According to co-creator Christian Linke, that was the plan all along and this is just the first of “many stories to tell” in the League of Legends universe. The first season of Arcane performed well in viewership when it premiered in November 2021 and perhaps some of the characters could crossover into other entries of the franchise the streamer is creating.

Evil (Paramount+, Status: Cancelled): This supernatural drama improved to Number 2 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings with an estimated 788 minutes of viewing. Last week I indicated that this viewership was related to its fourth season premiere, but this is actually pre-premiere build-up as Nielsen is a few weeks behind and only has viewership through May 12th so far (the Season 4 premiere was on May 23rd). This is driven also by the encore run of Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix, but it proves the show is quite popular and perhaps Paramount+ should reconsider its decision to bring this one to an end. Fans should definitely take this as an opportunity to make some noise on the social networks in support of the show.

Doctor Who (Disney+, Status: Renewal Possible): This series did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of its premiere on Disney+. That streamer is now partnering with the BBC on the show and the highly anticipated premiere of the current season which brings the arrival of the new Doctor played by Ncuti Gatwa was on May 10th. I will watch how this one tracks in the coming weeks, but if the show does not draw sufficient viewership Disney may lose interest in backing the property.

Sweet Tooth (Netflix, Status: Ending): This post-apocalyptic fantasy series had its third season debut last week and it arrived in the Netflix Top 10 at Number 5 with 34.3 million hours viewed across 5.4 million accounts. It has performed well for the streamer since it first debuted and its third season was announced in advance as its last, giving it a typical run for a streaming original.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

The final season announcement for Arcane will impact the 2024-25 season as that show does not return until November. In addition, the final season announcement for The Boys will impact a future season since it already counts as renewed for the current season. So the Cancellation/Renewal Score remains the same at 26 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (39% 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 66
Cancelled 9 13.6%
Ending 6 9.1% 22.7%
Renewed 26 39.4%
On the Bubble 4 6.1%
Renewal Possible 21 31.8%
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.

The post Cancellation Watch: Arcane Will End With 2nd Season on Netflix, Evil Rises in the Nielsen Rankings, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

The Boys Will Be Ending With its Fifth Season

Od: johnnyjay

Eric Kripke announced today that Amazon’s superhero series The Boys will be coming to an end with its fifth season. The fourth season of that show will premiere on Thursday and the fifth-year renewal had been announced in advance.  The show’s creator and showrunner confirmed in a tweet that it will be wrapping at that point:

#TheBoys Season 4 Premiere Week is a good time to announce: Season 5 will be the Final Season! Always my plan, I just had to be cagey till I got the final OK from Vought. Thrilled to bring the story to a gory, epic, moist climax. Watch Season 4 in 2 DAYS, cause the end has begun! pic.twitter.com/3p7Wt4jGA6

— Eric Kripke (@therealKripke) June 11, 2024

Kripke had previously indicated that he wanted the show to wrap up around its fifth season, and it appears that Amazon is okay with those plans. The news does not come as a huge surprise, even though the show is one of the streamer’s most-watched originals. The Boys is very expensive to produce, and the streaming model is not designed for shows to run for many seasons. The number of subscriptions for an original usually drops each season, and these shows get to the point that they cannot justify the money that is being pumped into them. Netflix is ending its hugely popular originals Stranger Things and The Witcher with their fifth seasons, and Paramount+ just wrapped up Star Trek: Discovery with its fifth year. And typically only the most-watched shows make it that far as it is much more common for streaming originals to cap off around the third or fourth season.

The fifth season of The Boys will not be the end of the franchise, though, as spin-off Gen V is heading into its second season and could stick around for a few more years. In addition, a Spanish-language series set in the same universe is  in the works, and I expect more spin-offs to hit the lineup in the coming years. The show has expanded into a franchise, and Amazon will definitely work to get the most from that.

The Boys already counts as renewed for the current season and its final year will not arrive until the 2024-25 season at the earliest. So the Cancellation/Renewal Score remains the same at 26 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (39% of shows tracked) vs. 15 cancelled and ending (23%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

The Boys follows a group of vigilantes who are trying to bring down the superheroes known as “The Seven” who work for the corrupt company Vought International and who have been abusing their powers. It stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, and Laz Alonso and it is based on the comic book series created by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

We are almost at the end of the 2023-24 season and I expect more announcements to come over the next week or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post The Boys Will Be Ending With its Fifth Season appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premieres for The Boys S4 and House of the Dragon S2, Netflix Teases Its Animation Slate, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


The Boys (Prime Video): The world is on the brink. Victoria Neuman is closer than ever to the Oval Office and under the muscly thumb of Homelander, who is consolidating his power. Butcher, with only months to live, has lost Becca’s son as well as his job as The Boys’ leader. The rest of the team are fed up with his lies. With the stakes higher than ever, they have to find a way to work together and save the world before it’s too late. The first three eps of Season 4 will be available for streaming on Wednesday.



House of the Dragon (HBO): This series is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen. Premieres Sunday at 9 PM EST.

Schedule Notes:

Wrapping up this week is the Apple TV+ fantasy/comedy The Big Door Prize which has its Season 2 finale on Wednesday. There has been no word on a second season of that show yet. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for June and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Jun 10 – Jun 16

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday June 10
No Genre Entries
Tuesday June 11
The Acolyte (Disney+) Streaming
Wednesday June 12
Reginald the Vampire (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+) Streaming Season Finale
Dark Matter (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday June 13
The Boys (Amazon) Streaming Season 4 Premiere
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Friday June 14
Doctor Who (Disney+) Streaming
Saturday June 15
No Genre Entries
Sunday June 16
Interview with the Vampire (AMC) 9:00-10:00
House of the Dragon (HBO) 9:00-10:00 Season 2 Premiere
The Lazarus Project (TNT) 9:00-10:00

Sci Fi TV News of Note


Netflix released a sizzle reel teasing its upcoming animation offerings which include Zack Snyder’s The Twilight of the Gods, Terminator Zero (with Timothy Olyphant voicing the Terminator), Tomb Raider: The Legend of Laura Croft (with Haley Atwell voicing Laura Croft), and more. In addition, a new Ghostbusters animated series is on the way from that streamer. Not many details are available on these shows at the moment, but stay tuned for updates.

In scheduling news, the second season of Star Trek: Prodigy will be arriving on Netflix July 2nd. That show was cancelled by Paramount+ but there is a chance that it could continue to a third year on its new home. In addition, AMC has announced September 29th as the premiere date for the second season of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.  And over on Amazon’s Prime Video, Season 3 of The Legend of Vox Machina will be arriving on October 3rd.

In renewal news, Netflix has confirmed that its adaptation of 3 Body Problem will run for three seasons and complete the story of the book trilogy.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers


Snowpiercer (AMC): The fourth and final season of this post-apocalytic series will premiere on AMC on July 21st. The first three seasons are currently streaming on AMC+.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premieres for The Boys S4 and House of the Dragon S2, Netflix Teases Its Animation Slate, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All-Time: Doctor Who (1963)

Od: johnnyjay

The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.

What Is It?

This series follows the time traveler known as the Doctor, who comes from a race of Time Lords living on the planet Gallifrey. The Doctor helps those threatened by other time travelers or nefarious alien races and undergoes transformations from time to time when mortally injured. The Doctor also tends to bring companions along in adventures through time and space.

Aired: 1963-1989, BBC, 26 Seasons Totaling 841 Episodes

Starring: William Hartnell, Patrick Toughton, John Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Elisabeth Sladen

Created By: Sydney Newman, C.E. Weber, Donald Wilson

Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:

Doctor Who has made a definite stamp on the sci-fi genre, starting from its humble beginnings as a show intended to be educational and eventually becoming a worldwide phenomenon. For the purposes of this post, I am considering only the classic Doctor Who series that ran from 1963 to 1989, and I will do a separate post for the revival because it deserves its own entry.

While the original plan was to create a show that looked back at historical periods with the intent of educating its viewers, that changed with the second serial which introduced one of the Doctor’s greatest enemies, the Daleks, and the creative team never looked back. While they still included some historical settings, the main focus of the series turned to the Doctor locating (actually, stumbling upon) and battling evil beings throughout space and time. The show delivered some grand tales during its run, even if it did so with only a shoestring budget.

The strength of this series from the start, and all the way through to the present, is the Doctor himself (later herself). The producers came up with the brilliant idea of the Doctor transforming into different incarnations when William Hartnell’s health started to fail. This gave the show the chance to reinvent itself every few years, and they succeeded in identifying standout actors for the lead role. The companions carried their weight as well, but the actors playing the Doctor pretty much carried the series on their backs, with each adding their unique touches.

The show delivered full-on sci-fi tales (though definitely not hard sci-fi) while also incorporating some horror elements. It developed an iconic rogue’s gallery, but it also never took itself too seriously. It aimed at the family audience (even if some of the younger members might find themselves hiding behind the couch when the more monstrous villains showed up) and delivered a show that was plenty of fun. Despite all its limitations (particularly the budget), the classic run of Doctor Who definitely counts as one of the all-time greats of sci-fi TV.  (You can read more about the show at this link.)

Argument Against:


While Doctor Who is recognized the world over, the classic run of the series falls short of counting as an all-time great because it is far too dated. The special effects are absolutely atrocious through much of the show’s tenure, and the production values sometimes resemble those of a community theater play. It also tended to be slow and plodding as it padded out four-to-six-episode serials covering one story. The Doctor himself was definitely a strong point for the show, but if they got the wrong actor (Colin Baker), that could pretty much drag it down for multiple years. It did introduce some iconic villains to sci-fi TV, but go back and watch some of those episodes as you witness the Daleks wobbling through the sets and the Cybermen fumbling around, all looking rather silly. And tell me that “The Web Planet” is not the worst example of sci-fi TV ever (making the giant carrot from Lost in Space‘s “The Great Vegetable Rebellion” look like big-budget stuff). The original Doctor Who made its mark, much like the kiddie space operas of the 1950s. But while it may be historically relevant, it does not count as one of the greatest sci-fi TV shows of all time.

Johnny Jay’s Take:

I first encountered Doctor Who when it hit syndication in the U.S. in the late ’70s, and I was hooked from that point forward. That was Tom Baker’s classic first season, and even though I acknowledged that it was a cheaply made show, I loved every minute of it. This show delivered full-on science fiction (and fantasy) unlike many of the TV entries on the U.S. networks that tried to hide their sci-fi elements (The Six Million Dollar Man and the early seasons of The Bionic Woman were perfect examples of this). Doctor Who may have had a limited budget, but it had an unlimited imagination, and that exploded on the screen, led by whoever was playing the Doctor at any given point in time (I even sort of liked Colin Baker). This show was basically unlike anything that U.S. TV had to offer, and I followed it throughout its run in the States, including when it became a top fundraiser for PBS. It does deliver plenty of cringe-worthy moments because of its low production values, but if you can look past that, you can certainly see that it counts as one of the greats of sci-fi TV.

Where Can You Watch It?

The BritBox streaming service has 558 episodes of the classic series, which makes up 129 complete stories (some episodes have been lost because the BBC destroyed parts of its video library). Pluto TV also has a Doctor Who channel live-streaming for free (with ads) that has quite a number of the classic episodes in regular rotation. The revival is streaming on Disney+ since that streamer is now partially funding the new episodes.

Do you consider Doctor Who to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy TV shows of all time, or is it too out-dated and cheesy? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.



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.

The post The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All-Time: Doctor Who (1963) appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Cancellation Watch: 3 Body Problem Will Run for 3 Seasons, Scavengers Reign Fails to Chart in Netflix Top 10, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

3 Body Problem (Netflix, Status: Renewed): Netflix previously announced a renewal for this show and that the creative team would “get to tell this story through to its epic conclusion”, but no further details were revealed at that time. Now the streamer has confirmed that the show will return for two additional seasons which will give it one for each book in the trilogy. The showrunners, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, previously indicated that they wanted it to go for four seasons, but when the initial renewal came, they claimed that the streamer was giving them enough episodes to tell the story they wanted. 3 Body Problem is very expensive to produce, so Netflix likely wanted to keep the show from going too long to put a cap on the budget. Benioff and Weiss were rushed to wrap up Game of Thrones with its eighth season and that caused some controversy, so we will see how things play out with this series.

Scavengers Reign (Netflix, Status: Cancelled): The first season of this animated sci fi series premiered on Netflix on May 31st, but it did not make it into that streamer’s Top 10 for the week. The show was previously cancelled by Max but then picked up by Netflix for an encore run and they are considering producing a second season. It will need to post better viewership numbers, though, so fans should make some noise on the social networks to bring it some attention and get more people watching on Netflix.

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama held at Number 3 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for a second week in a row, improving to an estimated 699 million minutes watched. It dropped out of the Netflix charts after only three weeks, suggesting it may not have the completion rate that execs at that company are looking for. But it still has posted decent viewership and could continue to a second season.

Evil (Paramount+, Status: Cancelled): This show made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings the week after its Season 4 premiere. It landed at Number 8 with 291 million minutes watched, though it got a boost from the encore run of the first two seasons on Netflix. Paramount+ is bringing the show to an end with its current season (giving it a few bonus episodes to wrap up its storylines), but if viewership remains strong, perhaps it could get an extension. Fans should take this opportunity to make some noise on the social networks to support that show.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

There were no cancellations or renewals this past week, so the score remains the same. We are currently at 26 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (39% 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 66
Cancelled 9 13.6%
Ending 6 9.1% 22.7%
Renewed 26 39.4%
On the Bubble 4 6.1%
Renewal Possible 21 31.8%
Mini-Series 6


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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.

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Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premieres for The Acolyte, The Lazarus Project S2, Sweet Tooth S3, Update on Black Mirror S7, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


The Acolyte (Disney+): An investigation into a shocking crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, they travel down a dark path where sinister forces reveal all is not what it seems. The first two eps will be available for streaming Tuesday.



The Lazarus Project (TNT): The world has locked into a deadly time loop and the Lazarus team must race against time to save humanity. Among their number is resolute Lazarus agent, George, who’s been left in disgrace after betraying the organization in the name of love. George is determined to redeem himself and win back the trust of his friends, colleagues, and the love of his life. But when he discovers that the cause he is fighting for is more sinister than it appears, George suspects that the only person he can really trust is himself. Premieres Sunday at 9 PM EST.



Sweet Tooth (Netflix): In this final chapter, Gus and his friends embark on a harrowing journey in hopes of curing the Sick – and finally discovering the truth about hybrids. All episodes will be available for streaming on Thursday.

Schedule Notes:

Star Trek: Discovery will be wrapping up its encore run on Showtime with the one-and-a-half-hour series finale which kicks off at 7:30 PM EST on Monday. Season 3 of Snowpiercer becomes available for streaming on AMC+ on Saturday (Seasons 1 and 2 arrived last week), and then the fourth and final season will have its premiere on AMC on July 21st.  Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for June and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Jun 3 – Jun 9

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday June 3
Star Trek Discovery (Showtime) 7:30-9:00 Encore Run
Tuesday June 4
The Acolyte (Disney+) Streaming Series Premiere
Wednesday June 5
Reginald the Vampire (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
Dark Matter (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday June 6
The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+) Streaming
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Sweet Tooth (Netflix) Streaming Season 3 Premiere
Friday June 7
Doctor Who (Disney+) Streaming
Saturday June 8
Snowpiercer (AMC+) Streaming Season 3 Encore Run
Sunday June 9
Interview with the Vampire (AMC) 9:00-10:00
The Lazarus Project (TNT) 9:00-10:00 Season 2 Premiere

Sci Fi TV News of Note

According to Charlie Booker, filming on Season 7 of Black Mirror is more than halfway complete which should have it on track for an early-to-mid 2025 premiere. It will consist of six episodes and one will be a sequel to fan-favorite “USS Callister”. A spin-off series based on that episode was announced a while back, so perhaps the Season 7 sequel ep will lead into that.

Last week I mentioned that filming was mostly complete on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 which should have it headed for a late-2024 or early-2025 premiere. As an additional update on the show, Anson Mount has indicated that filming on the fourth season will begin in 2025.

In scheduling news, Syfy has set July 17th as the premiere date for The Ark Season 2.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers


The Umbrella Academy (Netflix): The fourth and final season of this series follows the Hargreeves siblings as they navigate a new timeline where they have lost their powers. Facing new enemies determined to wipe them out, they must uncover their father’s secrets and find a way to restore their abilities. Premieres August 8th.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

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Schedule Rewind 1985-86: Anthology Shows Make a Brief Return on the Broadcast Networks

Od: johnnyjay

Schedule Rewind: A look back at the Prime Time schedule from seasons past and network decisions impacting sci fi and fantasy shows.

[Updated]

The decade of the 1980s proved to be mostly a wasteland for sci fi and fantasy television on the broadcast networks, but in Fall 1985 there was a brief flirtation with a revival of the anthology format which looked like it might give a boost to the genre. Perhaps the success of Tales from the Darkside in syndication spurred interest from network execs, and three separate anthology entries landed on the schedule as the season began. But their tenure would be brief and before long the networks would once again shy away from programming with genre elements.

ABC

MacGyver (Sundays 9:00 PM EST / Wednesdays 8:00 PM EST)
Shadow Chasers (Thursdays 8:00 PM EST)

ABC did not join in on the anthology revival and had only two offerings of interest to genre fans, both of which debuted that season. MacGyver kicked off its iconic run, and even though it would never be a Top 30 show, it proved to be a solid performer across its seven-year run. Less sci fi and more of a spy/adventure series, the show only had minor genre elements as it offered episodic stories with plenty of action that proved very palatable to the Prime Time audience. Richard Dean Anderson was of course perfect for the part and helped carry the series, and it would start to introduce some more sci fi elements later in its run. But at the time the show debuted, it only just barely counted as a genre entry. It started out competing against ratings juggernaut Murder, She Wrote on CBS (which ranked Number 3 for the season), and was moved to Wednesdays at 8 PM EST mid-year. In its second season, MacGyver would move to Mondays at 8 PM EST where it would remain a staple on the schedule for the rest of its run.

Shadow Chasers was a paranormal investigation drama and ABC’s attempt to capitalize on the success of Ghost Busters which had proven to be a Box Office hit the year prior. It came from Kenneth Johnson who had previously developed The Incredible Hulk for CBS and who had created the V mini-series for NBC. But the show was slotted into the Thursday 8 PM EST hour where it went up against the Number 1 and 2 shows of the year The Cosby Show and Family Ties. Not surprisingly, it failed to find much of an audience and ABC yanked it from the schedule after only nine of its thirteen episodes had aired.

CBS

The Twilight Zone (Fridays 8:00 PM EST)
Airwolf (Saturdays 8:00 PM EST)

With NBC bringing out its big budget and high-profile Amazing Stories anthology series (see below), CBS decided to counterprogram by digging into its vaults and reviving perhaps the great anthology of them all. And it sure seemed like a can’t-miss idea as it reworked some of the original stories while also adding plenty of new tales. But without Rod Serling involved (he had passed away a decade prior), the show lacked a strong guiding force, and it ended up seeming more like a corporate attempt to cash in on a recognized name than an honest attempt to create quality television. And while the revival did manage to produce some good episodes, it was very uneven overall and failed to find much of an audience. The show would disappear from the network’s schedule by the end of the 1986-87 season, though it would continue in syndication for another year (with a young J. Michael Straczynski very much involved with penning episodes).

Airwolf was in its second season and very much indicative of the type of genre entry the networks found palatable in the ’80s. The sci fi elements were linked to high-tech as with MacGyver‘s scientific improvisations on ABC and Knight Rider‘s supercar on NBC (see below). With Airwolf, it was a high-tech helicopter which the heroes used to fight the bad guy of the week and it involved little to nothing in the way of actual sci fi stories. Still, this one had some appeal to genre fans, especially with a dearth of other offerings from the broadcast networks. The show never proved to be a ratings hit and was cancelled by CBS at the end of the year after a two and a half season run. It would jump to syndication for its final year, but it went through some major casting changes at that point.

NBC

Amazing Stories (Sundays 9:00 PM EST)
Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Sundays 9:30 PM EST)
Knight Rider (Fridays 9:00 PM EST)
Misfits of Science (Fridays 9:00 PM EST)

When NBC secured the deal with Steven Spielberg for Amazing Stories, it must have seemed like a sure thing. The king of the Box Office blockbusters had his name attached to the show and he would bring directors, writers, and actors onboard who usually shunned television work. The show was also given a sizable budget and a guaranteed two-year commitment upfront. Everything was in place for Spielberg to replicate his blockbuster success on the small screen. But then Amazing Stories premiered and proved rather . . . un-amazing. The look and feel of the series definitely delivered a cinematic experience, but for the most part the episodes just felt underdeveloped or flat-out empty (you can read more about the series at this link). The show did deliver a few gems across its run, but for the most part it underwhelmed and the audience started to tune out pretty quickly. NBC stuck with its two-year deal and the show remained on the schedule for the 1986-87 season, but the network bowed out after that.  (It would later get a revival on Apple TV+, though that would last only one season of six episodes.)

Immediately following Amazing Stories on Sundays was the reboot of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. That one drew heavily on stories from the original show and tended to deliver more in the way of mystery/suspense tales, but it was still of interest to genre fans. Apparently there was not enough nostalgia factor, though, and the show also failed to grab the attention of newer viewers. And the fact that it and Amazing Stories aired against top-rated Murder, She Wrote, while also competing for the genre audience with MacGyver, did not help either. Alfred Hitchcock Presents was off NBC’s schedule by the end of the year, though it would stick around a few more years in syndication.

Knight Rider was in its fourth season and that was a genre TV series that network executives could understand. It had a handsome lead as well as a cool car and lots of action, explosions, and car chases. The show never brought in much in the way of sci fi stories, but it still managed to attract the attention of the genre audience. Its popularity with the Prime Time audience was waning by that point though, and it wrapped up its four-year run at the end of the season.

Of more interest to sci fi fans on NBC that season was Misfits of Science. But that proto-superhero series was certainly out of place on the Prime Time schedule in 1985. The Superman movies were no longer drawing many people to the Box Office and Tim Burton’s Batman was still a few years away from taking over the big screen. Misfits of Science was also an original property and therefore lacked any name recognition. The quality of the episodes also varied widely and it had to contend with ratings-powerhouse Dallas on CBS in the Friday 9 PM EST hour. The show never developed more than a cult audience and was gone from the schedule by the end of the year.

Had the anthology reboot proven more successful, the networks might have been willing to consider adding more sci fi entries to the Prime Time schedule. ABC certainly would have been tempted to reboot The Outer Limits had both Amazing Stories and The Twilight Zone proven to be successful in the Nielsens. But neither show ended the season in the Top 30 and both were off the schedule by the end of the 1986-87 season. Just like when the networks flirted with big budget sci fi in the late ’70s (ABC’s Battlestar: Galactica and NBC’s Buck Rogers in the 25th Century), the viewership proved to be disappointing and both shows disappeared after truncated runs. Genre television would continue to have success in syndication in the ’80s, and Star Trek: The Next Generation would kick that to the next level in 1987 (more on that at this link). But after the failed attempt to reboot the anthology shows, the broadcast networks would once again shy away from sci fi TV.

More Schedule Rewinds At This link



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.

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Why Was Forever Cancelled and Can It Be Revived?

Od: johnnyjay
2014’s Forever offered a Prime Time friendly procedural with a twist and did very well in delayed viewing, but its network was unwilling to support the show.

What Is It?

This series followed Dr. Henry Morgan–a man who has lived two hundred years and can’t die–who has taken a job as a medical examiner to study death and to see if he can find the answer to his own immortality. He is also being stalked by another immortal who goes by the name of Adam and who claims to have lived over two thousand years.

Aired: ABC, 2014-15, 1 Season Totaling 22 Episodes

Starring: Ioan Gruffudd, Judd Hirsch, Lorraine Toussaint, Alana De La Garza, Joel David Moore

Created By: Matt Miller

Why Was It Cancelled?


This show combined elements of Sherlock Holmes, The HighlanderNew Amsterdam, and more and delivered yet another procedural with a twist to Prime Time television.  But it did manage to stand out in a large part because of the excellent cast led by Ioan Gruffudd in the main role as well as the supporting players which included Judd Hirsch, Alana De La Garza, Joel David Moore, and more.

Forever debuted in the Tuesday 10 PM EST timeslot, an hour which ABC had struggled with for several seasons, and it produced decent premiere ratings.  Its numbers slipped to marginal at best levels shortly after that, but it did score well in delayed viewing, and ABC did give it a full-season pickup suggesting at first that network execs had some confidence in the show.  But as it turned out, they apparently just wanted to use it as schedule spackle, plugging up the Tuesday 10 PM EST timeslot until the season ended.  After November, it never aired more than two new episodes in a row which stifled any chance for it to build up momentum.

Its numbers remained low, and despite the lip service the networks were giving to the delayed viewing stats at that time, ABC cancelled it at the end of the season.  Forever received high marks from critics and topped most season-end polls as the show least deserving cancellation.  And a very vocal fanbase lobbied hard to convince the network to bring it back for a second season or to move it to another venue.  But it remained cancelled as would NBC’s Constantine that season and Limitless on CBS the next year, both of which were genre shows that also performed well in delayed viewing.  The networks were still far too focused on the same-day numbers (despite what they would say in press conferences), and cancelled the show far too soon despite the fact that it showed plenty of promise.

Can It Be Revived?

It has been nearly ten years since Forever first debuted, and the fact that the show is about an immortal who does not age would make it difficult to bring it back with the same actor after so much time has passed. But perhaps with sufficient application of makeup or some sort of some sort of explanation that Henry had started to show signs of aging, the show could make a return. The clock is definitely ticking on this one, though, and any sort of revival would have to happen soon lest they go the complete reboot route. Fans showed a strong outpouring of support after it was cancelled by ABC, so perhaps they could pull back together and target one of the streaming services as the landing place for a revival.

One or two seasons of eight to ten episodes each could bring Henry back and give the show the opportunity to wrap up its storylines, leaving it with a binge-worthy run. But if much more time passes, it seems unlikely that Ioan Gruffudd could return to the role unless they did CGI de-aging. With the streaming services looking for properties that are less expensive than the mega-dollar productions they have been putting out, Forever might draw some attention because it would have a reasonable budget and it comes with a built in audience. And Max would be a good service for fans to target since the show was originally produced by Warner Bros. But they would need to organize something soon otherwise time will expire on this immortal.

Where Can You Watch It?

This show has been released on DVD, and it is also available to purchase VOD.  It was streaming for free on the CWSeed site that was part of The CW, but new ownership has done away with that.  It is not on any of the other major streamers at this point, but it could show up on Max at some point.

Did you watch Forever and would you support fan efforts to bring it back? Chime in below in the comments.



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.

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Cancellation Watch: Dead Boy Detectives Enters the Nielsen Rankings; Reginald the Vampire Moves to Bubble Status, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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

Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This supernatural drama made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for the week of its premiere, landing at the Number 3 slot with an estimated 633 million hours of viewing.  But considering how quickly it slipped out of the Netflix charts, this may not be enough to ensure the show receives a second season. Its connection to the Sandman universe could help it, but fans should certainly make some noise on the social networks to bring this one more attention.

Reginald the Vampire (Syfy, Status: On the Bubble): The supernatural dramedy has averaged just a 0.02 rating based on same-day viewing in the 18-49 demographic across its first three Season 2 episodes, and I am moving it to Bubble status. Surrealestate averaged only a 0.02 score in its second season and got the nod for a third year, but I had that show On the Bubble as well. It’s possible that international partnerships and/or syndication are keeping these shows afloat, but fans of Reginald should make a Call to Action on the social networks to help this show out so that it could possibly survive to a third season.

Blood of Zeus (Netflix, Status: Renewal Possible): This show fell out of the Netflix Top 10 after hitting the lower rungs of that chart in its debut week. But its viewership numbers may be good enough for an animated entry, and perhaps this one will be allowed to come back for at least one more season. Support from the fans on the social networks might help to give it a boost.

Them (Prime Video, Status: Renewal Possible): This season-long horror anthology series crept into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings at Number 10 for the week of its second season premiere with 251 million minutes of viewing. If it continues to post decent viewership for another couple of weeks, it could be back for a third year.

You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


Cancellation/Renewal Score:

Somehow I missed it, but Amazon’s sci fi dramedy Upload was renewed earlier this year. I am now factoring that into the Cancellation/Renewal Score which brings us to 26 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (40% 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 26 40.0%
On the Bubble 4 6.2%
Renewal Possible 20 30.8%
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.

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Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Scavengers Reign on Netflix, Series Finale for Star Trek: Discovery, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


Scavengers Reign (Netflix): In this surreal sci-fi animated series from creators Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, the remaining crew of a damaged interstellar freighter ship find themselves stranded on a beautiful yet unforgiving alien planet – where they must survive long enough to escape or be rescued. But as the survivors struggle to locate their downed ship and missing crewmates, their new home reveals a hostile world allowed to thrive without human interference. Premieres on Friday.

Schedule Notes:

Scavengers Reign has been picked up for an encore run of its first season on Netflix. If that performs well, the streamer may consider continuing it to a second season. It is still streaming on Max (where it has been cancelled), but may leave that venue in the next few months. Another show headed to an encore run is Snowpiercer (which previously aired on TNT) as the first two seasons of that post-apocalyptic series will start streaming on AMC+ on Monday with the third season joining them the following Monday. The fourth and final season which has not been aired yet will arrive on AMC and AMC+ July 21st. Wrapping up this week is Star Trek: Discovery which will release its season finale on Paramount+ on Thursday. That will cap off its run at five seasons and 65 episodes. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for June and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of May 27 – Jun 2

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday May 27
Star Trek Discovery (Showtime) 8:00-9:00 Encore Run
Snowpiercer (AMC+) Streaming Encore Run
Tuesday May 28
No Genre Entries
Wednesday May 29
Reginald the Vampire (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
Dark Matter (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday May 30
The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+) Streaming
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming
Star Trek Discovery (Paramount+) Streaming Series Finale
Friday May 31
Doctor Who (Disney+) Streaming
Scavengers Reign (Netflix) Streaming Season 1 Encore Run
Velma (Max) Streaming
Saturday June 1
No Genre Entries
Sunday June 2
Interview with the Vampire (AMC) 9:00-10:00

Sci Fi TV News of Note

Disney+ is moving forward with a new MCU series that will bring back The Vision.  Details are sparse on the show, but Deadline claims it will “center on The Vision (Paul Bettany) trying to regain his memory and humanity”.  Elizabeth Olsen could also appear in the series as The Scarlet Witch.  Terry Matalas (Star Trek: Picard) has been attached as showrunner and the streamer is looking at a 2026 premiere for the show.

A reboot of The Munsters is in the works which will be titled 1313 after the address where the ghoulish family lives 1313 Mockingbird Lane. This will be a darker take on the characters that “lives and breathes within the Universal Monsterverse”, though not much else is known about the series. Universal Studio Group is developing the reboot and Lindsey Anderson Beer (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines) has been attached as showrunner.  A network or streaming service has not been announced, but the show will likely fall somewhere in the NBCUniversal umbrella, perhaps at Peacock.

Anson Mount has announced that filming is mostly complete on Season 3 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. That probably has it on track (trek?) for a late 2024 premiere or maybe early 2025.

Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum has indicated that the upcoming third season of the alternative-history MCU series What If…? will be its last.  That is set to premiere at some point in the 2024-25 season, and a spin-off series Marvel Zombies is currently in the works.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers


Sweet Tooth (Netflix): In this final chapter, Gus and his friends embark on a harrowing journey in hopes of curing the Sick — and finally discovering the truth about hybrids. Season 3 premieres June 6th.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

The post Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Scavengers Reign on Netflix, Series Finale for Star Trek: Discovery, and More appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

The Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows of All Time: Star Trek The Next Generation (1987)

Od: johnnyjay

The Greatest Sci Fi/Fantasy TV Shows: Considering the case for the sci fi and fantasy television shows that should be counted among the greatest of all time.

What Is It?

This series continues the mission of the U.S.S. Enterprise—one hundred years after the events of the original Star Trek series—with a new crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard and including his first officer William Riker, the android Data, the empathic Betazoid Deanna Troi, the Klingon Worf, and more.

Aired: 1987-94, Syndicated, 7 Seasons Totaling 178 Episodes

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, Wil Wheaton

Created By: Gene Roddenberry

Argument to Count It as One of the Greatest Sci Fi TV Shows:


This revival of the Trek franchise with a new crew is considered by many to be Star Trek done right. The original series had become somewhat dated by that time and had more of an action focus (at the insistence of the network) while it gave a lot of screen time to the three leads (Kirk, Spock, and McCoy), keeping the other main characters in the background. The Next Generation had slower, more intellectual stories while emphasizing the ensemble nature of its cast. The new show did deliver some action from time to time, but it leaned more heavily on its science fiction nature and offered less in the way of the preachy morality plays the original series was known for.

Probably one of the main factors that helped TNG stand out, though, was its cast. An excellent set of actors was assembled, beginning with the unexpected choice of Shakespearean performer Patrick Stewart as the captain. But he fit perfectly in the role and has since become an iconic face of sci-fi TV along with William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Data (Brent Spiner), Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), Worf (Michael Dorn), and the rest. And while some of the characters received more screen time than others (particularly, Picard, Riker, Data, and Worf), the show delivered a true ensemble cast and the actors all demonstrated great chemistry working together.

Star Trek: The Next Generation did have its fair share of clunkers (“Rascals,” “Qpid,” most episodes with Lwaxana Troi), but so did the original series (“Spock’s Brain,” “The Turnabout Intruder,” “Elaan of Troyius”). And TNG delivered plenty of excellent episodes across its seven years that stood out as true accomplishments for sci-fi TV. In addition, it spearheaded a revival of the genre in the off-network market at a time when the Big Three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) had shied away from sci-fi-oriented programming (more on that at this link). So TNG definitely made its mark and must be considered one of the greatest genre entries of all time.  (You can read more about the show at this link.)

Argument Against:

While TNG did have some good episodes, more often than not it delivered bloodless Star Trek. The original series devolved into melodrama and bad camp at its worst, but TNG was just boring. And that was the case more often than not. The show was far too intellectual and seemed to be consciously avoiding action to prove it was different from the original series. The senior officers would sit around and talk far too often when they should be taking action, and they seemed to show little concern when they were in situations of danger, as if the characters had read the scripts and knew they were going to survive. In addition, many of the special effects do not hold up well today. They may have been impressive at the time, but now appear rather cheesy compared to modern-day CGI. Given a choice between picking a cheesy, dated entry in the franchise, the original series is the better of the two and TNG should slide pretty far down the list when considering the greatest sci-fi TV shows of all time.

Johnny Jay’s Take:

While Star Trek: The Next Generation did deliver a fair amount of mediocre or worse episodes, at least one-third of its installments count as great sci-fi TV, and that’s impressive considering its long run (178 episodes). This show came onto the scene in 1987 and made a difference for sci-fi TV as it helped to revive the genre and proved that the broadcast networks did not have a complete lock on television viewers. It did take a few seasons to really hit its stride, but once it did, the show moved into warp speed. And it went out with a bang as well, delivering many of its best episodes across its last two seasons and also giving us a very satisfying series finale. Upon rewatching the show, I find that even some of the lesser episodes hold up pretty well, offering a nice respite from the CGI overload we experience so often these days. TNG definitely has some ’80s/’90s cheesiness to it, and it can be downright awful at its worst (particularly when Alexander showed up in the “Father Worf Knows Best” episodes), but at its high points (and it had plenty of those), it delivered one of the greatest sci-fi TV shows of all time.

Where Can You Watch It?

The entire series has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is currently available for streaming with a subscription to Paramount+ and the seventh season is available to stream on demand for free (with ads) on Pluto TV.

Do you consider Star Trek: The Next Generation to be one of the greatest sci fi/fantasy TV shows of all time, or does count as one of the lesser entries in the franchise? Chime in with your thoughts below or at our discussion thread at r/SciFiTV.



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.

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Cancellation Watch: Blood of Zeus Enters Netflix Top 10, Fallout Holds at the Top of the Nielsen Rankings, and More

Od: johnnyjay

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.


Go to r/SciFiTV to join the discussion on sci fi and fantasy television and to keep up with the latest news, trailers, schedule announcements and more


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.

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What If…? Will End With Its Upcoming Third Season

Od: johnnyjay

This has not received a lot of coverage in the mainstream entertainment media, but the animated Marvel series What If…? will be coming to an end with its upcoming third season. Marvel Studios Head of TV, Streaming, and Animation Brad Winderbaum recently told ComicBook.com that the third season could be the next Marvel animated series to arrive on Disney+ (with X-Men 97 having just wrapped up its first season), and that it will represent “the culmination of a trilogy”. He went on to say the following about the upcoming season:

We’re actually close to completing that one, and it really feels like you’ve gone through this amazing emotional experience with Uatu, in a way that’s… What’s great about The Watcher is that he presents himself as uncaring, and cold, and just an observer, but he cares more than everybody [and] anybody. That is on full display in that third season.

The first season of that show premiered in Summer 2021 and the second season arrived in December 2023. It has not made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings across its two seasons, but it has received good marks from critics and viewers, currently holding a 91% average Fresh Rating and 79% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. A spin-off animated series Marvel Zombies is currently in the works, and since What If…? is an anthology, it could return for a fourth season and possibly more at some point down the road.

The release date for the third year of What If…? has not been announced yet, and I am going to assume it will arrive in the 2024-25 season, so it does not impact the current Cancellation/Renewal Score. That stands at 25 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (40% of shows tracked) vs. 14 cancelled and ending (22%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

What If…? is an alternate history anthology series that presents “what if” scenarios involving the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe, all monitored by the mysterious Watcher. The upcoming season will include Sam Wilson / Captain America, Monica Rambeau, Bill Foster / Goliath, Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier, Alexi Shostakov / Red Guardian, and more. The voice cast includes Jeffrey Wright, Haley Atwell, Anthony Mackie, Teyonah Parris, Laurence Fishburne, Sebastian Stan, and David Harbour.

We are at the end of the broadcast network regular season and I expect more announcements to come over the next week or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post What If…? Will End With Its Upcoming Third Season appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premiere for Evil Season 4, New Eps of Red Dwarf Are on the Way, and More

Od: johnnyjay

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:


Evil (Paramount+): Kristen, David and Ben continue to assess cases that involve wayward technology, possessed pigs, demonic oppression and infestation, a dance muse conjured by alleged witches and an evil relic. Premieres on Thursday.

Schedule Notes:

Wrapping up this week is Beacon 23 which has its second season finale on Sunday on MGM+. There has been no word on a third season of that one yet. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for May and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of May 20 – May 26

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Monday May 20
Star Trek Discovery (Showtime) 8:00-9:00 Encore Run
Tuesday May 21
No Genre Entries
Wednesday May 22
Reginald the Vampire (Syfy) 10:00-11:00
Dark Matter (Apple TV+) Streaming
Thursday May 23
The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+) Streaming
Evil (Paramount+) Streaming Season 4 Premiere
Star Trek Discovery (Paramount+) Streaming
Friday May 24
Doctor Who (Disney+) Streaming
Velma (Max) Streaming
Saturday May 25
No Genre Entries
Sunday May 26
Interview with the Vampire (AMC) 9:00-10:00
Beacon 23 (MGM+) Streaming Season Finale

Sci Fi TV News of Note

Red Dwarf will be returning to the small screen in 2025. According to the British Comedy Guide, a 90-minute feature-length installment will start filming later this year and it will be broken into three 30-minute specials. Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Danny John-Jules, and Robert Llewellyn will be reprising their roles, but no plot details are available at this time.

The live-action series Silk: Spider Society will not be going forward at Amazon.  That would have followed Cindy Moon who is bitten by the same radioactive spider that gave Peter Parker his powers and she becomes the superhero known as Silk.  Sony was planning to develop several shows based on the Marvel characters it has the rights to and those would have aired on MGM+ and streamed on Prime Video.  Those plans appear to have fallen through and Sony will be shopping Silk to other venues.

In renewal news, Netflix has picked up 3 Body Problem for additional episodes to conclude the story, but the number of seasons has not been announced yet.  Also, Amazon has given The Boys an early fifth-season renewal in advance of its fourth-season premiere in June 2024.

In scheduling news, I have put together the initial Fall 2024 Schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows, and it is looking pretty sparse at this point, especially across the linear networks.  You can see that at this link.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Sci Fi TV Trailers


Dune: Prophecy (Max): 10,000 years before the ascension of Paul Atreides, Dune: Prophecy follows two Harkonnen sisters as they combat forces that threaten the future of humankind, and establish the fabled sect that will become known as the Bene Gesserit. Premieres Fall 2024.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.



More from 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.

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.

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Cancelled Before It Began: Zombieland (2013)

Od: johnnyjay
2013’s Zombieland delivered a fun continuation of the film from its creators but with a new cast, and fans of the franchise were not willing to support it.

What Is It?

Taking place sometime after the end of the 2009 Zombieland movie, this pilot picks up with the four main characters as they fight for survival in Los Angeles. They at first try to gather together other survivors in the area, but that doesn’t go so well. Then they decide to head out east because Detroit (the last Onstar operator still broadcasting) tells them there is a safe community there.

Aired: Prime Video, April 19, 2013

Created By: Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick

Starring: Kirk Ward, Tyler Ross, Maiara Walsh, Izabela Vidovic, Kendra Fountain

Why Didn’t It Fly?


Zombieland creators Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick originally envisioned their zombie-comedy as a television series and started writing the script for that around 2005. In fact, the “zombie kill of the week” that we saw in the movie was part of the original TV series plan with each episode having a segment where one of the main characters would have a big kill. But the television idea did not draw much interest from the networks, leading Reese and Wernick to adapt what they had written so far into a feature film script.

The movie proved a hit in 2009, but plans for a sequel stalled. Reese and Wernick then decided to go the television route again and began working on a pilot for a series that would continue from the movie but have different actors in the lead roles (it would be too expensive to bring the original cast back). There was some interest from FOX and CBS, with the show possibly arriving on the schedule in Fall of 2012. Those plans fell through, but Amazon stepped in and ordered the pilot as it was trying to beef up its originals at that time. That was released in April 2013 with new actors taking over the familiar roles plus the addition of new character Detroit who is an OnStar operator that helps to guide the group.

The pilot was actually not bad and showed some promise, but fans could not get past the cast changes. This was a time when Amazon allowed viewers to vote on pilots (it would release several at a time) and the streamer would pick up the most popular ones to series. Sadly, Zombieland was voted down hard and Amazon announced that it would not continue as a series.

Would It Have Worked as a Series?

The pilot had some rough edges and it took some getting used to the new actors, but I believe it could have turned into quite a fun series as long as Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick were onboard. The thirty-minute episode produced by Amazon has much of the wit and ironic humor of the movies, it’s just a matter of whether you can accept the new actors. I thought all of them did a good job and brought their own unique interpretations to the roles while still remaining pretty close to the characters from the film. Tallahassee diverged the most from the character portrayed on the big screen (nobody can replace Woody Harrelson), but I could have accepted him in the role. It looks like the series would have followed the main four characters as they traveled from town to town, and it could have produced a decent run. Sadly, though, it was the fans who killed the show this time around, not the network execs.

Should It Be Rebooted?

The TV pilot happened because the planned sequel stalled, but Zombieland: Double Tap eventually did move forward and hit the big screen in 2019. It’s possible that Reese and Wernick could take another shot at a TV series that follows from the second film, but they would run into the same problem with getting the main actors onboard, and it appears that fans are not willing to accept anybody else in those roles. Another sequel is probably the best route, and perhaps that will happen at some point.

Where Can You Watch It?

The pilot is no longer available on Amazon Prime Video, but you can find it on YouTube from time to time. I believe it is worth searching out, just set expectations appropriately and you may find this to be fun little addition to the Zombieland universe.

You can read about more sci fi TV shows that were cancelled before they began at this link.



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.

The post Cancelled Before It Began: Zombieland (2013) appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

The Fall 2024 Television Schedule Does Not Have Much in the Way of Sci Fi and Fantasy Offerings

Od: johnnyjay

This past week was the Upfronts when the broadcast networks (and now some of the streaming services) announced the schedules for the upcoming 2024-25 seasons (while also securing advertising from the sponsors).  This used to be a pretty big event when the broadcasters had a more commanding spot in the television landscape, but with dwindling viewing for the old-school networks, the Upfronts have been rather anti-climatic the past few years.  And for fans of sci fi and fantasy, there is little of interest on the upcoming schedules for those channels.  In fact, scripted shows in general are getting less and less Prime Time real estate, and that is a trend I expect to continue.

Here is the rundown for each of the broadcast networks:

ABC:  This network sent its supernatural comedy Not Dead Yet to the grave after two seasons and it has no other sci fi/fantasy shows on the upcoming schedule as its owner Disney is keeping most of those on the Disney+ streaming service.  And out of nineteen hours available across the Prime Time week (not including Saturdays), only five and a half hours of scripted programming are currently planned for Fall 2024.  The rest is taken up by reality/competition shows and sports.  You can see the full Fall schedule for ABC at this link.

CBS:  This network is bringing back its hit supernatural comedy Ghosts for a fourth season, but no other genre entries will be joining it on the schedule.  Out of nineteen Prime Time hours available, the eye network will have the most scripted programming among the broadcast networks with fifteen hours.  You can see the full Fall schedule for CBS at this link.

FOX:  This network is bringing back its animated fantasy comedy Krapopolis for a second season, but it has nothing else to offer for genre fans.  Out of 13 hours available in the Prime Time Week (FOX does not program the 10 PM EST hour), six hours will be comprised of scripted programming.  You can see the full Fall schedule for FOX at this link.

NBC:  This network cancelled Quantum Leap this past season and La Brea wrapped up with its third and final year, with no new sci fi/fantasy shows on the upcoming schedule (though Brilliant Minds starring Zachary Quinto could potentially explore some genre themes).  Of the 19 Prime Time hours NBC will be programming, only ten and a half will be comprised of scripted programming. You can see the full Fall schedule for NBC at this link.

The CW:  Once the sanctuary of genre shows amongst the broadcast networks, The CW has cut back significantly on its sci fi TV offerings (and scripted programming in general) and has only two entries on the Fall schedule.  Superman & Lois will be returning for its truncated and budget-slashed final season (more on that at this link) and new series The Librarians: The Next Chapter will be joining the network’s lineup.  Beyond that, The CW will have only two more hours of scripted programming on the Fall schedule for a total of 4 out of a total 13 hours available in the week.  You can see the full Fall schedule for The CW at this link.

The shrinking of scripted programming on the schedule in favor of sports and reality shows is something I have predicted for a while, but I thought the networks would start doing more encore runs of originals from their streaming companions.  Similar to what CBS did a few years back when it ran Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 which likely hooked some viewers and got them to sign up for Paramount+.  We haven’t seen too much of that so far, but I would not be surprised if it becomes more prevalent in the coming seasons.

As for the cable channels, there is not much in the way of sci fi and fantasy shows on the Fall schedule there either as scripted programming continues to dwindle on those venues.  FX has the final season of What We Do in the Shadows on the way and it’s possible that Season 13 of American Horror Stories will hit the schedule in Fall as well (likely around Halloween).  Syfy’s Surrealestate could be back for its third season in Fall as could AMC’s Mayfair Witches and The Walking Dead: Dead City and Starz’s Outlander, though none of those have been confirmed.   Even more tentative is the second season of HBO’s The Last of Us which could get pushed to 2025.

On the streaming services, a handful of shows are targeting Fall premieres, though only one is confirmed at this point.  Disney+’s Wandavision spin-off Agatha All Along (previously titled House of Harkness, Darkhold Diaries, and Coven of Chaos) has received a premiere date of September 18th.  Also currently set for Fall premieres are Arcane (Netflix), Dune: Prophecy (Max), The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 (Prime Video), and Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 (Paramount+), though no dates have been set yet.  Other streaming originals could arrive in the Fall, but currently the slate is rather sparse.

In part, the lack of scripted programming is due to last year’s strikes, but the entertainment industry is also going through some changes as it appears the Peak TV era has peaked (more on that at this link).  I expect to see fewer scripted programs across the linear and digital viewing platforms, and particularly fewer of the mega-budget productions like 3 Body Problem (Netflix), Fallout (Prime Video), and The Last of Us (HBO).  It doesn’t mean that we won’t still have some good sci fi options, and Peak TV definitely dumped a glut of programming on us, so fewer shows might be better.  Just be sure to adjust expectations and not be searching for tons of new scripted programming because there will be less to choose from in the coming seasons.

Following is the Fall 2024 Schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows across the broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services.  This is very tentative at this point, so expect changes by the time that September rolls around.  And you can keep track of all the sci fi TV premieres at this link and the weekly schedule at this link.

Fall 2024 Schedule:

Monday
No Genre Entries
Tuesday
No Genre Entries
Wednesday
10-11 PM American Horror Story (FX) Returning for 13th Season
10-11 PM SurrealEstate (Syfy) Returning for 3rd Season
Thursday
8:00-9:00 Superman and Lois (CW) Returning for 4th and Final Season
8:30-9:00 Ghosts (CBS) Returning for 4th Season
9:00-10:00 The Librarians: The Next Chapter (CW) NEW SERIES Series Premiere
10-10:30 PM What We Do in the Shadows (FX) Returning for 6th and Final Season
Friday
No Genre Entries
Saturday
No Genre Entries
Sunday
9-9:30 PM Krapopolis (FOX) Returning for 2nd Season
9-10 PM Mayfair Witches (AMC) Returning for 2nd Season
9-10 PM Outlander (Starz) Returning for Season 7 Part 2
9-10 PM The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC) Returning for 2nd Season
Streaming
Agatha All Along (Syfy) NEW SERIES Premieres Sep 18
Arcane (FOX) Returning for 2nd Season
Dune: Prophecy (CW) NEW SERIES Series Premiere
The Legend of Vox Machina (CW) Returning for 3rd Season
Star Trek: Lower Decks (FOX) Returning for 5th and Final Season


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.

The post The Fall 2024 Television Schedule Does Not Have Much in the Way of Sci Fi and Fantasy Offerings appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

3 Body Problem Has Been Renewed by Netflix and Will Be Allowed to Conclude Its Story

Od: johnnyjay

Netflix has renewed its sci fi series 3 Body Problem, but the extent of that renewal is not clear yet. The streamer has given the greenlight to continue the series and to bring it to a conclusion, but the number of seasons involved has not been announced. Showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss were hoping to have four full seasons to tell the story from the book trilogy by Cixin Liu, but Netflix has not committed to that yet.

3 Body Problem is one of the most expensive originals that the streamer has put out, costing $20 million per episode so far, and that does not include the exorbitant fee to attain the rights to the books. The first season topped the Netflix charts for three weeks and spent seven total in the Top 10. It has also spent three weeks at Number 1 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings so far. But at the price tag, the streamer is likely still not coming out ahead with this one, and I would not be surprised if the show got only an extended second season to wrap up the full story. That would put Benioff and Weiss once again in a position where they are rushed to end a television series based on a beloved book series.

The showrunners have extended their deal with Netflix, so execs at the streaming service seem to be happy with their work, and maybe they will convince the higher-ups to let it go for at least three full seasons. But at this point, the number of episodes and seasons the show will get remains unclear. Benioff and Weiss made the following statement after the announcement:

We’re thrilled that we get to tell this story through to its epic conclusion. Ever since we read the last page of Cixin Liu’s magnificent trilogy, we hoped we’d be able to bring the audience to the end of the universe with us. Here we go!

This brings the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the current season to 25 renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (40% of shows tracked) vs. 14 cancelled and ending (23%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.

In 3 Body Problem, a fateful decision from China’s past echoes across space and time to a group of scientists in the present, forcing them to face humanity’s greatest threat. It stars Saamer Usmani, Jess Hong, Jovan Adepo, Sea Shimooka, Benedict Wong, and Tsai Chin and it is based on the trilogy by Cixin Liu.

We are at the end of the broadcast network regular season and I expect more announcements to come over the next week or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for updates and breaking news.



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.

The post 3 Body Problem Has Been Renewed by Netflix and Will Be Allowed to Conclude Its Story appeared first on Cancelled Sci Fi.

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