Aired: 2015-16, 2 Seasons Totaling 20 Episodes
Network: PlayStation Network
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Susan Heyward, Michelle Forbes, Max Fowler, Adam Godley, Eddie Izzard, Noah Taylor
Series Website: www.playstation.com/en-us/explore/playstation-plus/powers/
Description: Powers, an edgy dramatic series, follows the lives of two homicide detectives, Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, who are assigned to investigate cases involving people with superhuman abilities, referred to as “Powers.” Set amidst today’s paparazzi culture, Powers asks the questions, what if the world was full of superheroes who aren’t actually heroic at all? What if all that power was just one more excuse for mischief, mayhem, murder, and endorsement deals?
Enter the men and women of the Powers Division, the brave people in charge of protecting humans like us and keeping the peace over commercialized, god-like men and women who glide through the sky imposing their power over the mortals who both worship and fear them. Playstation.com
Why Was It Cancelled? This series bowed on the Play Station Network in 2015 and received some decent buzz which lead to a second season. But apparently they have decided that two seasons will be enough for the show. This is PSN’s first scripted show and I don’t know what the viewership was because they have not shared the numbers. Powers has been well received, but it is yet another entry without much exposure in the ever more crowded playing field of the Too-Much-TV Era. Whether PSN decided that the viewership was too low for Powersor that it was too expensive to continue is uncertain at this point. Perhaps they have decided to back away from the scripted programming arena because the competition is too stiff at the moment. With the streaming services, it is always hard to determine if they will stick with one of their original programs, especially if it is not drawing much attention. The series was based on the comic books co-created by Brian Michael Bendis and he tweeted this after the announcement: “this is hard to tweet, but word is that @POWERStheSERIES is sadly, no more. season 2 was the last. at least for now”. Whether the “for now” indicates that he will try to shop the property around remains to be seen, but he did indicate that a new story will be coming in comic book format.