Sci Fi TV Top 5: Covering the top sci fi and fantasy TV stories of interest from the past week. Note that this column takes the place of the prior Sci Fi TV News Brief series. You can keep up with the sci fi and fantasy TV news headlines at r/SciFiTV on Twitter and on Reddit.
1. Stranger Things Renewed for Fourth Season
Netflix announced this week that its retro-sci fi series Stranger Things has been renewed for a fourth season. The streamer does not typically share its viewership numbers, but it did release some stats for the show earlier in the Summer indicating that over 40 million people watched the third season. Then renewal has been pretty much assumed by most of the major media outlets, and apparently the delay in the announcement was due to new contract negotiations with the show’s creators the Duffer brothers. They have now signed a nine-figure deal with Netflix for future development. It is unclear how many more seasons that includes of Stranger Things and the Duffers previously indicated that they would wrap up the show around its fourth or fifth season. Netflix tends to cap off its shows around the third for fourth season these days, but they may want this one to stick around a bit longer because it still drives new subscribers to the service. A release date for Season 4 has not been set yet.
2. Snowpiercer Changes Course Back to TNT
The long-in-development TV series Snowpiercer–based on the 2013 movie of the same name–is in for another behind-the-scenes change. That series was originally picked up by TNT, but switched to sister-network TBS when the latter made a shift to more dramatic original productions. But now it is switching tracks again and heading back to TNT. The show has experienced previous behind the scenes shakeups when showrunner Josh Friedman left for “creative reasons” and also when director Scott Derrickson refused to return for reshoots to the pilot. Deadline Hollywood gives the following description for the series:
Set more than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, Snowpiercer centers on the remnants of humanity, who inhabit a 1001-car, perpetually moving train that circles the globe. Class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out in this riveting television adaptation based on the acclaimed movie and graphic novel series of the same name.
Snowpiercer is currently on track for a Spring 2020 debut.
>ALSO READ: The Magicians and Van Helsing Will Be Running Up Against the Five Season Wall at Syfy
3. Netflix Unveils the Cast for Fantasy Series Shadow and Bone
Netflix has announced the main cast for its upcoming series Shadow and Bone based on the fantasy books by Leigh Bardugo. The series will be led by Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Freddy Carter, Archie Renaux, Amita Suman, and Kit Young. Variety gives the following description for the production:
It follows Alina (Li), a young soldier who uncovers a power that may unite her country as she battles dangerous forces that plot against her.
The series is currently looking at an early 2020 debut on the streaming service.
4. Harley Quinn Premiere Date, New DCU Series, and More from NYCC
The New York Comic-Con has kicked off and already there is some breaking news coming from the event. The premiere date of the Harley Quinn animated series has been announced for Friday, November 29th on the DC Universe streaming service. Also, DCU has announced the “mixed media” anthology series BizarroTV which will solicit new talent and bring in lower-tier DC characters like Space Cabbie, Slam Bradley, the Creeper and Ambush Bug. Also, Apple TV+ has announced that M. Night Shyamalan supernatural drama Servant will premiere on that service on Thursday, November 28th. Stay tuned for more news coming out of NYCC over the weekend.
5. Emergence Slips in the Ratings, Evil Remains Low
On Tuesday, ABC’s new series Emergence slipped to a 0.6 rating based on same day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 3.6 million total viewers. Its debut numbers last week were okay, but did not leave much room for slippage. The second-week numbers are not terrible for the Tuesday 10 PM EST timeslot and also for the current Peak TV crunch landscape, but if the show slips much more it could find itself in Bubble territory. Over on CBS, supernatural series Evil held steady with its premiere at a 0.6 rating with 4.2 million total viewers. Those numbers are still marginal, but may be sufficient to keep this one afloat in its late-Thursday timeslot if it does not drop much more. Be sure to keep up with the ratings numbers and status updates each week in our Cancellation Watch Weekly Roundup post.
The Sched: Superheros, Supernatural, and Dinosaurs Arrive on the Schedule Next Week
Fall really kicks into high gear this coming week with most of The CW’s shows returning for their new seasons. Batwoman and Supergirl have their season premieres on Sunday while Black Lightning returns on Monday and The Flash races back on Tuesday. Wednesday brings the premieres of Riverdale and freshman series Nancy Drew. And on Thursday, Supernatural and Legacies return to the schedule. Over on Adult Swim, Genndy Tartakovsky’s animated Primal gets its series premiere late-night (see trailer above). You can see the full schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows at this link and you can keep up with the weekly listings at this link.
More from CancelledSciFi.com
Keep up with the ratings developments and the status of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Weekly Roundup posts. And join the #CancelledSciFiArmy on Twitter to bolster our ranks and help us fight for the struggling and cancelled sci fi and fantasy shows.
Check out our Sci Fi TV Schedule for debut and season finale dates and follow our Weekly Listings for a rundown of the shows airing in the current week.
Look back at the classics of sci fi and fantasy television with Classics Sci Fi TV.
