Syfy has renewed its vampire-pocalypse series Van Helsing for a fifth and final season which was the best-case scenario for that show. That low-rated series has been on the bubble that last few seasons, and its ratings numbers are currently at all-time lows. Syfy does not own the show, so it only makes money from it from the ad revenue driven by those ratings. But its production company Nomadic Pictures likely worked out a deal with Syfy (possibly dropping the licensing fee to next to nothing) to keep it going for a final season so that it can wrap up its storylines. Since the series is distributed globally by Netflix, that will make it a more binge-worthy series with fifty-plus episodes that do not leave the audience hanging at the end.
Van Helsing started the season on par with last year’s ratings (which were already low), but saw its numbers drop notably since November and I moved it to Bubble status. I previously suggested that the best it could hope for would be to stick around for a fifth and final season. And even if the ratings improved, it probably would not last beyond that because Syfy appears to have a five-season wall for its scripted originals.
Van Helsing follows Vanessa Van Helsing (whose ancestor was the infamous vampire hunter) who has survived into a post-apocalyptic world where vampires have taken over the Earth. Her blood turns vampires, though, so she may be the key to saving humanity. It stars Kelly Overton, Aleks Paunovic, Tricia Helfer, Richard Harmon and will have its fourth season finale on December 20th.
There are still several more shows from the 2018-19 season that are awaiting word on their fate such as The Terror, and Mars, and I expect announcements on Fall shows like Watchmen and The Purge relatively soon. You can see the status of all the currently airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows on our Cancellation Watch Page. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
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