Sci Fi TV Top 5: Covering the top sci fi and fantasy TV stories of interest from the past week. You can keep up with the sci fi and fantasy TV news headlines throughout the week at r/SciFiTV on Twitter and on Reddit.
1. Dawn Arrives at Amazon
Amazon has given a script-to-series order for a television adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s sci-fi novel Dawn. The Wrap gives the following description of the book:
The classic 1987 Hugo Award-winning sci-fi novel follows Lilith Iyapo, an African-American woman who has been kept asleep in an alien space ship along with several other survivors for 250 years after the earth is destroyed in a nuclear war. Now, the aliens are calling on her to resurrect the human race.
Ava DuVernay and Victoria Mahoney will executive produce the series and the Amazon will be looking to add this to its schedule later this year or early 2021.
2. Amazon Developing Horror Comedy Mitchcraft
Amazon is teaming with Psych‘s Steve Franks and Chris Henze to develop the horror comedy Mitchcraft. Deadline Hollywood gives the following description of the project:
Described as a two-handed relationship comedy with a genre twist, Mitchcraft follows a small town fire marshal who realizes he may have inadvertently harnessed the power of the supernatural and become, for lack of a better term, a witch.
Mitchcraft’s origins can be traced back to the slew of popular horror parodies on Franks’ USA crime dramedy Psych.
This will be another original that Amazon will be looking to add to its line-up of originals later this year or early 2021.
3. Netflix Brings on More Anime Creators
Netflix wants to bolster its Anime offerings even more and is bringing on six Japanese creators to work on new projects for the streaming service. Following are the creators Netflix will be teaming with according to Deadline Hollywood:
CLAMP (Cardcaptor Sakura)
Shin Kibayashi (The Kindaichi Case Files)
Yasuo Ohtagaki (Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt)
Otsuichi (Goth)
Tow Ubukata (Mardock Scramble)
Mari Yamazaki (Thermae Romae)
There are no specifics on the projects they will be working on at this point, but expect more news in the coming months. Anime originals currently on Netflix include Castlevania, Devilman Crybaby, and A.I.C.O. -Incarnation-.
4. Cancellation Watch: The Walking Dead Returns Up, Project Blue Book Improves
On Sunday, AMC’s The Walking Dead returned from its Winter hiatus and posted a 1.2 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 3.5 million total viewers. That is up from where it ended in Fall and closer to the numbers it was posting at the beginning of the season. This show been renewed for an eleventh season and will almost certainly stick around for at least a twelfth year. On the History Channel on Tuesday, Project Blue Book improved to a 0.21 rating with 1.2 million total viewers. That show looks to be on track for a third season renewal. Keep up with the latest ratings results and the status of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Weekly Rounup posts.
5. Casting News: American Horror Story, Lost Boys, Harley Quinn, and More
American Horror Story has made a casting announcement for its upcoming tenth season which includes newcomer Macaulay Culkin. He will be joining series regulars Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, and more. The CW has cast Branden Cook, Lincoln Younes, and Ruby Cruz in the lead roles in its pilot for The Lost Boys currently in development. DC Universe has cast Alfred Molina and Sanaa Lathan in the roles of Mr. Freeze and Catwoman in the upcoming second season of its animated series Harley Quinn. EPIX has added James Purefoy, Edward Hogg, Jessye Romeo, and Harriet Slater to the cast of its Batman prequel series Pennyworth for the show’s second season.
THE SCHED: Amazing Stories Has Its Premiere On Apple TV+, Castlevania Returns
For the first week of March, three sci fi and fantasy shows will be joining the schedule. On Thursday, Netflix’s Anime fantasy series Castlevania will return for its third season with all episodes available for streaming that day. Also on Thursday, Alex Garland’s Devs has its debut on Hulu with subsequent episodes releasing each week. And on Friday, the reboot of the 80’s anthology series Amazing Stories has its debut on Apple TV+. That show will be releasing one episode per week as well. 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.
>PRIOR POST: Doc Savage Will Conquer Television, Doctor Who Will Return for Another Year, and More
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.
Check back each Saturday for Sci Fi TV Retrospectives: A look back at cancelled, classic, forgotten, and more genre shows from the past.
