Will Nightflyers Be Renewed or Cancelled?

Syfy’s space horror series Nightlyers, based on the George R.R. Martin novella of the same name, wrapped up its first season last month and now fans of the show are waiting for word on whether the cliffhanger it ended on will be resolved with a second season. The series debuted on Syfy at the beginning of December with a 0.15 rating which is decent, but not spectacular, for that network these days. But the decision to air the show five nights a week for two consecutive weeks does not appear to have worked in its favor. The ratings dropped to as low as a 0.06 score and overall the show only averaged a 0.09 rating. No series with numbers that low has been renewed by the network up to this point, so that definitely puts the fate of Nightflyers in doubt. But it does have a few things in its favor which could help it to return for a second season.

The network made each episode available for streaming on its website and app after it had its live broadcast, so it may have picked up significant viewership there. The series is owned by NBC Universal which also owns the network (I previously thought it was not, but turns out it is an in house production) so the net keeps a chunk of the profits if there are any. And Netflix has the international streaming rights for the show, so that should bring in some money for the production as well. Syfy previously kept low-rated 12 Monkeys going through four seasons because it performed well in streaming and the network could do the same with Nightflyers. Of course, it is likely more expensive to produce than the time travel series, so that may work against it. But then Syfy has shown a willingness to stick by a show at least to its second season, especially if the network has an ownership stake, and could still give this one another year.

The critical response to the show has not been great with it only having a 33% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 47 score out of 100 on Metacritic. But it does appear to have built up a following and those fans needs to get active on the social networks in support of the show. With the network ownership and the Netflix deal, there may be a desire to bring the show back for another season in hopes that it will build up an audience. The same day ratings may have been low, but digital viewing could have been better and if fans can drum up some support on the social networks the show just might return for a second year. Without that support, I’d say it is a toss-up at best for the show returning. But if fans could make a strong Call to Action and draw attention to their plight, that might provide the final nudge toward the network greenlighting a second season.

Mid-Season is upon us with over forty new and returning sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the full schedule at this link. Be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site throughout the season for the latest ratings results and status updates for your favorite shows.