Word just broke this afternoon that FOX has cancelled Lucifer, its fantasy / procedural based on the Neil Gaiman comic of the same name. That show’s ratings have been down this year, but I still considered it a decent prospect for renewal because it is not too far from the syndication stretch and because fans have shown a huge outpouring of support for the series. Lucifer will be at fifty five episodes as of the end of its third season (its finale is on Monday) and still has two unaired episodes that were being held over for a potential fourth year. That puts it about a season-and-a-half away from the 88 episode threshold that the syndication market prefers for an encore run. I figured that Warner Bros, the show’s studio, would work out a deal with FOX to keep it going that long in order to reap the long-term profits from the syndication sale. But apparently the network and the studio were not able to work out an arrangement that would keep the show on the air. The fact that FOX will have less programming hours available on the schedule in Fall due to picking up Thursday night NFL Football may have been a deciding factor on the show (and could impact Gotham as well which is still awaiting word on its fate).
Fans have shown a huge outpouring of support for the show on the social networks this season, especially as it was winding down its third year run. But apparently FOX decided to turn a blind eye to that and cancel the series in order to make room on its schedule. There is a possibility that the show could continue on the DC Universe streaming service which is set to start up later this year. Since Warner Bros. owns Lucifer, they could keep it running on that venue long enough to get it to the 88 episode threshold. Fans should now turn their efforts toward convincing the studio that enough people will sign up for the service if they greenlight the show for a fourth season, especially considering that the current season will end on a huge cliffhanger. I have not heard that mentioned as a possibility yet, but the corporate synergies are there and Warner Bros. will make its money back if the show gets enough episodes for a lucrative syndication sale.
Announcements continue to come in as we head toward the Upfronts next week when the broadcast networks will announce their schedules for the 2018-19 season. Be sure to follow our Cancellation Watch Tracker as well as the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news over the next few days.
Cyber Knight & the Hand Puppet Commandos: One woman, seven hand puppets, and the solution to the Fermi Paradox will determine the fate of the Earth. Buy now in eBook and print format
--