[Updated 9/7/21]
The 2020-21 television season is in the books now and the 2021-22 season has already begun (you can see the preview for that at this link). Below is a rundown of the sci fi and fantasy shows that were cancelled or that ended in the 2020-21 season. This also includes some shows from the prior season that the networks were slow to make a decision on. There are still some shows waiting for word on their fates and you can read more about those at this link. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Page through the current season for status updates and breaking news.
>ALSO READ: Cancellation Watch Preview for the Fall 2021 Sci Fi and Fantasy TV Shows
Shows Cancelled or That Ended in 2020-21 Season
Amazing Stories (Apple TV+, Ended): Considering that Apple TV+ usually hands out early renewals to its shows, the fact that there was no word on the fate of Amazing Stories a year after it debuted suggests that it is done. There may be licensing issues with this one, and after the tepid reception to the first season, the streamer just may have had no interest in ordering more episodes of the series.
American Gods (Starz, Cancelled): After already seeing a notable ratings drop from its first to its second season, this show’s numbers dropped further in its third year leading to its cancellation. But there is still a chance that the show could have a final movie to wrap up its storylines.
Away (Netflix, Cancelled): This was a surprise cancellation at the time it was announced (though since then we have come to expect it from the streamer) and no reason has been given yet for why Netflix decided to cut it loose after only one season. It is a high-profile show and it scored very good viewership early in its run. It is likely also expensive to produce and there could have been cost hurdles continuing the show within the current COVID production restrictions. There has been no word on whether this one will be shopped to other venues.
Black Lightning (CW, Final Season): The CW usually allows its shows to go for at least 70 episodes once they have made it past their second season, but the final season announcement for this one brought it in short of that mark. The network might be prepping for some big changes to the Arrow-verse which I will discuss in an upcoming post.
Castlevania (Netflix, Final Season): Netflix tends to wrap up its originals around their third or fourth year, and sure enough, this show’s upcoming fourth season has been announced as its last. But a spin-off may follow set in the same universe. More on that at this link.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (Netflix, Cancelled): The Netflix four-season wall strikes again! This show was broken up into “Parts” which are essentially the same as seasons, and the streamer has announced that the fourth “Part” will be the show’s last, even though a fifth part–and possibly more–was planned. This show has proven popular for Netflix, but that service typically does not have much interest in keeping its originals going more than about four seasons. Fans made some noise to get this one move to another venue (with The CW as the most likley target as this was originally considered a spin-off from Riverdale), but nothing has come from that yet.
Cursed (Netflix, On the Bubble): The early buzz for this show was good, but Season 2 plans may have been stalled due to the pandemic-related shutdowns. After remaining silent on its fate for almost a year, Netflix announced its cancellation with network execs probably figuring it was yesterday’s news as they instead turned their attention to the next show in their endless churn.
Debris (NBC, Cancelled): Despite the challenges of the pandemic-impacted season and the option to move this to the Peacock streaming service, NBC execs appear to have reverted to old-school thinking and have cancelled the show due to low ratings. Fans showed their support on the social networks to see if they could convince NBC to keep it going as a streaming original, but that seems unlikely at this point.
The Falcon and The Winter Soldier (Disney+, Ended): As with WandaVision, this show was planned as a mini-series that would tell a complete story across its six-episode run. There is a chance that the characters could return for another mini-series, but it would be under a different title based on the events of this show.
Helstrom (Hulu, Cancelled): This was one of the last productions that started off at Marvel Television before that division was shut down and Marvel Studios pulled all of the TV development under its wing. It was basically orphaned at that point and it received what amounted to a burn-off run on Hulu.
Interglactic (Peacock, Cancelled): This British space opera did not receive much exposure in the U.S., though it is available for streaming on Peacock. It was not well-received during its first season on its home network Sky, and they decided to pull the plug on it.
The Irregulars (Netflix, Cancelled): Originals on this streaming service have lived and died at the whim of the Netflix Red Queen lately and this is one of several that faced the “Off with their heads!” verdict after one season. It performed well in the Nielsen Streaming Top 10, but apparently not well enough in the metrics that the streamer looks at to determine if a show should continue for another season.
Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix, Cancelled): This is yet one more Netflix show cut short after one season despite strong viewership numbers. Another series set in the same universe based on the Supercrooks comic will be the next live-action entry for Millarworld. And the story that started in the first season of Jupiter’s Legacy will be carried over to comics.
Lost in Space (Netflix, Final Season): This series is following what has become a very typical pattern for Netflix shows (and many of the streaming services, for that matter): it airs for three seasons with the third year announced in advance as its last. Shows typically draw in the most new subscribers during their first and second seasons, and the streamer is ready to move on to the next new show shortly after that. At least this one gets the chance to wrap up its storylines, but the shortened runs may be proving frustrating to Netflix viewers.
Lovecraft Country (HBO, Cancelled): The cancellation of this show came as quite a surprise, especially considering that it was well-received by critics and viewers and drew plenty of attention during awards season. The first season told the story fo the book it was based on, but showrunner Misha Green had plans to expand the world of the series in its second year and more. HBO decided they did not want to go that route, and there is still a chance this one could move to a different venue, but that is a longshot.
MacGyver (CBS, Cancelled): Despite the fact that the ratings were relatively good in this show’s fifth season, CBS has cancelled it, likely related to the current lawsuit. It appears that the show had a pretty strong following and I expect they did lobby for at least a sixth and final season. But nothing appears to have come from that yet.
Manifest (NBC, Cancelled Renewed for 4th Season by Netflix): The numbers were down for this show in its third season and NBC decided to cancel it despite the fact that the delayed and digital viewing strongly suggested that the same-day ratings did not accuretely reflect the audience. Netflix originally passed on the chance to pick up the show, but then it went seven straight weeks at Number 1 in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for acquired shows with is encore run on that streamer. Netflix eventually did the right thing and picked it up for a fourth season.
neXt (FOX, Canceled): Network execs apparently lost faith in this one early on evidenced by the fact that its premiere was moved around several times. There was some hope that it might find an audience when it was moved from a late-Spring start to a Fall debut, but it pulled only mediocre ratings across its first two episodes and FOX quickly cancelled the show. It’s likely that decision was made before it even aired, and it appears unlikely this one will get a second chance on a different venue.
The Order (Netflix, Cancelled): This was not one of Netflix’s higher-profile shows and it did not receive much promotion from the streamer across its two seasons, but it was well-received by critics and fans. However, it ultimately succumbed to the corporate machinations of the company’s rapid-fire launch strategy of scripted originals in a saturated market.
>Keep up with the sci fi and fantasy TV shows airing each week with our Weekly Listings
Supergirl (CW, Final Season): The final season announcement for this show came as no surprise as it has enough episodes for a syndication run and the network appears to be shaking up its superhero shows to an extent. But expect Supergirl and other characters from the show to make appearances on the other Arrow-verse entries from time to time in the coming years.
Supernatural (CW, Ended): Series creator Eric Kripke originally wanted to wrap up the show after its fifth season, but the network decided it wanted a sixth season and more. The first six seasons would later become a huge hit with their encore run on Netflix and that convinced the network to keep it going. At fifteen seasons and 327 episodes, it is the longest-running live-action sci fi/fantasy shows in the U.S. and the second longest-running in the world (next to Doctor Who).
Swamp Thing (CW, Canceled): This show was already cancelled by the DC Universe streaming service before Fall, but there was some hope that the encore run on The CW could lead to a second season. It performed okay for that network, but not necessarily well enough to convince the execs to keep it around and by all appearances it appears that Swamp Thing will remain cancelled.
Tales from the Loop (Amazon, Ended): One year after this show premiered there has been no word on a second season so it appears to be one-and-done. The show received some good buzz, but may not have drawn enough viewers to convince Amazon execs to greenlight a second season. The format is quite flexible, though, so it is always possible that it could return at some point, maybe with a new cast.
Trickster (CW/CBC, Cancelled): This show was originally renewed for a second season, but that was reversed after a controversy arose involving its co-creator (more on that at this link). I thought it might get shopped around because it was well-received across its short run, but there has been no movement on that end that I am aware of.
Truth Seekers (Amazon, Cancelled): Originals on the streaming services used to have have a decent chance of sticking around for a second season, but Amazon decided to cancel this show after one year. It apparently did not draw too much in the way of viewership, and it may have been too British for the streamer. Nick Frost and Simon Pegg might still try to shop it around, though.
The Twilight Zone (Paramount+, Cancelled): When this reboot of the classic series first premiered on CBS All Access, it set viewership records for the streamer. But apparently diminishing returns set in after that and the decision was made to not carry it forward into the newly rebranded Paramount+ streaming service. The statement from the producers suggests that they told the stories they wanted to tell, but I’m guessing they would have come up with more if ViacomCBS had given this one the greenlight for a third season.
Utopia (Amazon, Canceled): This remake of the British series of the same name received only a lukewarm reception from critics (it currently holds only a 51% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and apparently did not draw enough viewership to justify bringing it back for a second year. It is also possible that the increased production costs in the current COVID environment contributed to the show getting cancelled after one season.
Van Helsing (Syfy, Status – Final Season): While never a highly-rated show, this one developed a loyal following that helped to keep it viable for the network. Its fifth season was announced as its last in advance, but at least it had the opportunity to wrap up its storylines.
WandVision (Disney+, Ended): As with The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, his show was planned as a mini-series that would tell a complete story across its nine-episode run. The Scarlet Witch will be heading on to the second Doctor Strange movie, though she could potentially return to Disney+ at some point for another short-form or ongoing series. More on that at this link.
Wynonna Earp (Syfy, Cancelled): This show has never pulled strong ratings for Syfy and the cable net decided not to continue it beyond its fourth season. The producers are shopping it around, though, and the very dedicated and vocal fanbase has been lending their support (more on that 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.
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Debris was such a good show, It has so many storylines that could have been written. An alien species that was as yet unseen, but could do many things humans could not, spy stealing the alien’s equipment. And a possible love story. I wish Netflix has picked it up.
I a not watching La Brea, which seems interesting, because I don’t want to get interested in a program only to have it canceled.
Netflix has made many a great series, Punisher,Luke Cage,Lost in space etc. But they seem too often to cancell these series. So much so that I find that I no longer have the patience to watch them, (Netflix that is)
So I have cancelled my netflix subscription in hope it will help my stress levels
I too decided to just watch what has ended or nearing its end. Too many hours wasted on watching series that were cancelled halfway through the first season. Netflix used to be good. USED to.