Final Season? Syfy has announced the return date of it season-long horror anthology Channel Zero, and that one will be in-and-out before you know it. The show returns on Friday October 26th and will air one of its six episodes each night until Halloween, which sounds an awful lot like a burn-off run. That show’s ratings have been low since its first season and it only manage to average a paltry 0.09 score based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic for the “Butcher’s Block” installment this past Spring. Syfy did a similar binge approach with low-rated 12 Monkeys in its third and fourth seasons (it was renewed through a fourth year after its second season) to get the show through its live airings before moving to streaming where it performed better. Channel Zero was renewed through a fourth season after its second year as well, and it certainly appears that the upcoming “The Dream Door” segment could be its last. There has been no official announcement at this point, but the signs are pointing in that direction. If the ratings remain low, expect the fourth season to be the last for this anthology series unless fans can stage a Call to Action to convince the network to keep it going.
Will the Zombie Rot Catch Up with TWD? The ratings have been dropping for The Walking Dead and its spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead for the last few years, something that I refer to as “The Walking Dexit”. But AMC execs do not seem to concerned and currently expect another ten years or more from the franchise. That network’s CEO Josh Sapan had the following to say in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter: “The Walking Dead is a universe…and we have a plan to manage over the next decade, plus. That plan is a careful plan to respect the world of the fans of that world”. Interestingly, he seemed to be referring more to the TWD universe than to the two shows currently airing, perhaps considering another spin-off as the future of the franchise. Fear the Walking Dead is currently at series low levels for its ratings results (though it is still doing relatively well for a cable series). It has been renewed for its fifth season, but that or possibly a sixth will almost certainly be its last. The Walking Dead has some major cast changes coming in its ninth season that could hasten “The Walking Dexit”. I see that one sticking around through maybe its twelfth season, but not much more. Whether another spin-off (possibly an anthology series in the TWD universe?) shows up in the next year or two remains to be seen.
The Fall season is upon us and will be bringing over forty new and returning sci fi and fantasy television shows. You can see our full preview of the coming season at this link. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site throughout the season for the latest ratings results and status updates for your favorite shows.
