Fantasy series His Dark Materials–a co-production of the BBC and HBO–has been renewed for a third season and that will be its last. That announcement came this morning just a short time after I predicted in the Weekly Roundup post that a third season was likely the best fans could hope for from the show. That gives it the chance to wrap up the story from the book trilogy and not leave viewers hanging. The same-day ratings for the show have been low on HBO, averaging a 0.10 score during its first season and a 0.06 so far through its second season. Digital, delayed, and encore viewing factor in more heavily for the premium cable channels, but the same-day numbers do act as a leading indicator for audience interest in a show. On the BBC, His Dark Materials averaged seven million viewers for its first season, but that slipped to around five million this year. The third season will consist of eight episodes and will allow the show to tell a complete story and produce a binge-worthy run. Whether there were plans to take the story beyond the book are unclear, but that will not be happening now. The second season finale airs December 28th on HBO.
His Dark Materials follows a young girl who is destined to free her world from the grip of the Magisterium which represses people’s ties to magic and their animal spirits known as daemons. It stars Dafne Keen, Ruth Wilson, Anne-Marie Duff, Clarke Peters, James Cosmo, and James McAvoy and is based on the fantasy book trilogy of the same name by Philip Pullman.
We are still waiting to hear word on HBO’s Lovecraft Country as well as other shows like Amazon’s Tales from the Loop, Netflix’s Cursed, and Apple TV+’s Amazing Stories, so stay tuned for more announcements. 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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