Every year brings plenty of cancellations, especially in the current uber-competitive Peak TV crunch era, and 2019 was no different. We did not see the same level of fan outrage over cancellations as we did in 2018, causing the campaigns to save shows like The Expanse, Lucifer, Shadowhunters, and Daredevil trending worldwide and drawing plenty of attention. But the cancellation fo The OA by Netflix sparked a major uprising and several other shows that deserved better fell to the network executioner in 2019. Following is my rundown of what I believe to be the biggest sci fi TV cancellations of the year, and be sure to chime in below in the comments section with anything that you think I missed.
1 The OA (Cancelled by Netflix after 2 Seasons)
This paranormal series was starting to develop some buzz through its first two seasons as a sleeper genre entry, and its creators had planned out a five-year arc for the story. But things came to a crashing halt when Netflix cancelled the show after its second season. Despite the fact that it was gaining some notice, it was apparently not drawing in enough subscribers for the streamer to justify keeping it around for a third year or more.
At first, there were rumors that the cancellation was a publicity stunt that fit in with the conspiracy storylines of the series, but before long it became apparent that the show had been axed for real. Fans staged a raucous campaign to save the show, using the #SaveTheOA hashtag and even raising the money to put up a digital billboard in Times Square. But Netflix could not be swayed to bring the show back. Since the series is not owned by the streaming service, perhaps it could return after the license expires (after about two years), but for now this show has been left on a cliffhanger ending.
2 Krypton (Cancelled by Syfy after 2 Seasons)
This highly-anticpated show debuted on Syfy in Spring of 2018 and pulled one of the highest ratings the network and seen for a series premiere in several years. But after the curious onlooker effect wore off (and grumblings about the quality of the writing), the viewership went on a steady decline. It did get a second season renewal (and the writing made a turn for the better), but its numbers continued to slip despite the introduction of fan-favorite alien bounty hunter Lobo. There were even talks of a Lobo spin-off before the second season debut, but the disappointing ratings pretty much put an end to that and ultimately led to the cancellation of Kypton.
There were some attempts to save the show, trying to convince The CW, DCU, or HBO Max to pick it up, but nothing came of that. In the meantime, the scripted programming on Syfy has dwindled to the point that the network is no longer much of a player in that market.
3 Swamp Thing (Cancelled by DCU after One Season)
This show has the ignomious distinction of getting cancelled after only one episode had been released. Its episode order had already been cut from thirteen to ten, which was not a good sign, and then after its premiere was released for streaming the cancellation announcement followed. Apparently Warner Bros. execs were not thrilled with the darker direction of the show (what did the expect?), and there were apparently budgetary issues as well.
The series was well-received by critics, currently holding a 94% Fresh Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And fans lobbied for the series, trying to convince The CW, HBO, and the upcoming HBO Max (all owned by Warner Bros.) to pick up the show for a second season. But nothing has come of that and this show became the first casualty of the DCU streaming service.
>ALSO READ: Cancellation Watch: Final Roundup for the Fall 2019 Sci Fi TV Shows
4 Counterpart (Cancelled by Starz after 2 Seasons)
This alternate timeline series showed up on Starz with little fanfare and failed to gain much of an audience in its first season. But it was well-received by critics and started to draw some good buzz. It survived to a second year only because Starz ordered two seasons in advance, but its numbers slipped even lower when it returned. Critics were still heaping praise on the show (it has a 100% Fresh Ratings for both seasons on Rotten Tomatoes), but the numbers were too low and Starz execs felt like it did not fit in well with the network’s female-skewing audience. They issued the cancellation after it completed its second season.
There were attempts to shop it around to other venues, but nothing came of that leaving the show with only its two seasons. It did wrap up most of its storylines, but then the final scene suggested the opening of a whole new chapter. This was an excellent series that just happened to be on the wrong network at the wrong time and became another casualty of the Peak TV crunch.
5 & 6 Jessica Jones (Cancelled by Netflix after 3 Seasons), The Punisher (Cancelled by Netflix after 2 Seasons)
The writing was already on the wall for these two shows after the cancellations of Daredevil, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist, but some were holding out hope that the remaining two Marvel shows might offer the opportunity for the characters to continue a few more years. But Netflix and Disney were apparently on the outs with the Disney+ streaming service looming as a major competitor. And this is also when we started to see signs of the three-season cap that Netflix has on its shows. Even though the Marvel shows remained popular, they weren’t drawing in many new subscribers after the second or third season, and Netflix was not that interested in bringing them back.
The Save Daredevil campaign was already in full force at the point these two were cancelled, and fans of the shows jumped onboard to lend their support. There are rumors that Charlie Cox will be returning as Daredevil, possibly on a revival of the show on Hulu and possibly in the movies. There is also word that Krysten Ritter and Jon Bernthal could reprise there roles at some point as well, so don’t count these heroes out just yet.
7 & 8 Cloak & Dagger (Cancelled by Freeform after 2 Seasons), Runaways (Cancelled by Hulu after 3 Seasons)
Two more Marvel television shows that became Peak TV casualties, these were victims of behind the scenes shake-ups with the Marvel Productions companies. Marvel TV (which produced both of these shows), has since been shut down and Marvel Studios (which produces the movies and the upcoming TV shows on Disney+) has taken over full production of television and movies. Pretty much all of the Marvel TV entries are done at this point or heading into their final season (Agents of SHIELD), and it looks like the adult-animated entries headed by Howard the Duck will be overseen by Marvel Studios.
There were some attempts by fans to lobby for Cloak & Dagger to continue, either on Hulu or Disney+. But that did not draw too much attention outside of the immediate fanbase. The cancellation of Runaways was announced ahead of the release of its third season, claiming that would be the final year for the show. The characters of Cloak and Dagger will cross-over in the third season of Runaways, and it is possible that all of the characters could show up on Disney+ at a future date.
9 Origin (Cancelled by YouTube after One Season)
This genre-crossing sci fi series arrived on the YouTube premium service in late 2018 with little fanfare and did not manage build up much of a following during its first and only season. It was a big-budget production obviously designed to compete with the high dollar shows on the other major streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu. But it arrived right as YouTube was shifting is strategy for scripted originals and moving away from more expensive productions. The cancellation announcement came in March 2019.
Origin is a first rate sci fi entry that deserved better than it received from YouTube and sadly ended without resolving its storylines. It was being shopped around to other venues, but since it never developed much of a fanbase, there appears to be no buyers interested in picking it up. Perhaps at some point it will return for a second season, but the chances of that seem slim at this point.
10 The Passage (Cancelled by FOX after One Season)
This vampire-pocalypse series was long in the making, originally starting off as a big-screen production at FOX. It shifted to the television division and after a few false starts finally made its debut in January 2019. It started with decent numbers, but saw those drop throughout its first season run. FOX might have been willing to bring it back for a second year, but the Disney buyout happed right about that time and this one appears to have been swept out with the house-cleaning that followed.
The series did a very good job with the source material (based on the books by Amy Bellafonte), giving a scientific explanation for vampires and setting up an epic battle for the survival of humanity. But ultimately the change in ownership took its toll, leaving this as another one-and-done series without a proper resolution. Its small following did try to convince other venues to pick it up, but nothing came of that, leaving the show on somewhat of a cliffhanger.
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