Origin received little attention when it premiered and YouTube cancelled it after one season, but fan efforts could lead to a revival.
[Updated 9/23/21]
What Is It?
This series takes place on a colony ship headed from Earth to a new planet which offers people a chance to leave behind their past troubles and find new life. A group of passengers awake from suspended animation to discover that they have not reached their destination and that the rest of the crew and passengers have abandoned ship. Over the next ten episodes, these people try to find a way to survive and get the ship back on course, while flashbacks reveal the past lives that they fled from on Earth.
Aired: YouTube, 2018, 1 Season Totaling 10 Episodes
Starring: Natalia Tena, Tom Felton, Sen Mitsuji, Nora Arnezeder, Fraser James
Created By: Mika Watkins
Why Was It Cancelled?
This sci fi series arrived on the YouTube Premium service without much fanfare in November 2018. It did receive a bit of promotion, and the streamer made the first two episodes available for free, but not enough people discovered this one when it was first released. YouTube was making a foray into scripted programming at that time, trying to compete with the big streamers, but it got cold feet pretty quickly and has since completely exited from that areNa (with its one hit Cobra Kai jumping over to Netflix). Origin was a big-budget production, much like what the Big Three streamers (Netflix, Amazon, Hulu) have been putting out and basically found itself in a bad situation as YouTube shifted its strategy for originals. Ultimately, the streamer decided to pass on a second season (ending the series on a huge cliffhanger) and they quietly cancelled it in March of 2019.
How Did Fans Respond?
There was not too much reaction to the cancellation because not enough people even knew that it was streaming, and fewer were aware that it was cancelled. Had Origin run on one of the Big Three streaming services, I believe it would have had a better chance of surviving to a second season because they tend to commit to their shows for at least a few seasons (and Netflix was not in its “Off With Their Heads!” mode at that point). But the fact that the show landed on YouTube at a time that the streamer was not fully committed to scripted programming ultimately led to it getting cut short after one season. Had YouTube done more to promote the series, it almost certainly would have attracted a larger following and they likely would have made a push to lobby another venue to pick the show up. It’s studio and producers did shop it around after the cancellation, but apparently that was unsuccessful because there has been no word on the show moving to a new location. If the fans had rallied to support the show at that time, that might have helped its chances.
Can It Be Revived?
This show delivers Lost meets Lost in Space meets Alien with a little bit of Blade Runner and Dark Matter thrown in for good measure. And while it borrows liberally from other sources, it does so in such a way as to give a unique spin on the material. It is also had very high production values and should have received more attention from the sci fi community, which it might have if YouTube had promoted it better. It has since become one of the most-searched shows on this site as people have slowly discovered it and learned that it is quite a good sci fi entry.
Origin could still have a shot at a second season, though it will require fans to come together and make a Call to Action on its behalf. Plenty of people have discovered this show and the first two episodes are still available for free on YouTube. But any fanbase out there is pretty loose-knit at this point. If they can come together and make some noise, perhaps that could re-energize efforts to find the show a new home (and we here at Cancelled Sci Fi will certainly support any campaign efforts). The contracts for the actors have certainly expired at this point and the sets have likely been destroyed, so there are some hurdles to getting this one going again. But we have seen shows like Manifest, Lucifer, and The Expanse saved, so it is not impossible that Origin could join that list. But fans will need to make some noise, and that should happen pretty soon. The more time that passes, the less likely it is that this show could be revived for a second season.
Did you watch Origin and would you support fan efforts to bring it back? Chime in below in the comments.
More from CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Sci Fi TV Update posts on Fridays. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.
Recently discovered the show. I guess not much advertising was done to promote it.
Here in Greece, no one I’ve asked knows it.
But truly it was great.
And I would really love to see what happens next.
So what does it take to bring it back? Normally I forget about a show as soon as it gets off air but this one still haunts me because I need to know how it goes on. As far as I recall the creator said she has a lot of stories left to tell here.
Please, make an effort to bring this show back.
The acting and the CGI is on point. The suspense is great and keeps you second guessing what’s really happening.
to be honest for the show ORIGIN ,it is really excellent if you compare some other series, i find its a good one they should have keep it and at least for another season and see … Good acting .picture,set and like it was said before yes it borrow from some other movie serie but as its own story
Just found Origin in January 2024. Great show. Great sets and great cast. Kept my attention through 10 episodes. With a cliff hanger like that it has to make a comeback. C’mon YouTube. Don’t do us like this.
Nooo Not cancelled this show is very promising I just discovered late December 2023
The advertising for the series was very bad but the series on itself is top tier even better than many series that I know have 6 season..
Here an advise revive season 2 & make better advertise for it this is a win to win series without a single doubt acting character story Sci-Fi & we know there very few there..
I’m still hype it for the rest of the story thriller is amazing..
Had never heard of it and came across it by accident. It was very good but since I never subscribe to anything other than Prime I never knew about it. Only have Netflix now because it came with T-Mobil service or I never would’ve ventured into it. All channels going off on their own to stream stuff is just too expensive to subscribe to all so, can’t say I feel bad it failed. Though if it went to prime or Netflix for a second season, I’d be happy to watch it. But I think season 1 left at a good point. Thea is not safe, and Lana then will be with her people and the humans landing will be taken over too so, let the imagination run. The parasite has learned to be human. Maybe it can become a symbiot with humans and they can co-exist.
The story tell ending is very interesting, great imagination I like it..
Only very recently discovered ORIGIN by chance and binge watched it because it was THAT damn good. So many shows it’s easy to get lost in the abyss but this deserves to be seen by all sci fi lovers and most definitely deserves a second season. Left hanging and wanting more!!!
Please bring it back is a danm good show.
gahhh please make a season 2, its much needed and now that more people have caught on to the show i think it would definitely be as big as some of its other relatable shows like the expanse. we really want to know what happens next.
Whyyy??!!!! :(((( Whhyyyyy CANCEL??!!!! 😭😭😭
Really strange it didn’t go on… OK a shift in YouTube strategies, but Prime or Netflix could have taken it up for a second season.
+1 for me, in case. As it was a really good sci-fi novel! But I’m afraid it’s far too late :-/
One of the best sci-fi shows ever made! Wish there was a second season!
It’s so f”””ing good I can’t believe someone else didn’t pick it up
I only got premium so I could watch this. Won’t subscribe after my one month trial runs put.
That’s why I hate series, they always get cancelled.
This show was literally the only reason I got YouTube premium… I’m about to cancel the premium since they cancelled the show.
We need a second season! We deserve it, and after all he’s been through, Shun deserves it too!
I am really upset! I just caught this show by dumb luck, got completely sucked into it and there’s only 10 episodes!!! WHY?!
I just started watching Season 1 again.
This show is fantastic! A shame they didn’t keep going.
Unfortunately sci-fi is getting into a bit of a death spiral. So many shows are cancelled prematurely leaving cliffhangers that I generally don’t start watching until they at least get a series 3, and even then it’s not a guarantee (looking at you Colony). And of course that means that those shows are more likely to be cancelled – I know that but I am so sick of investing emotionally in series that go nowhere.
I actually broke my rule for this show because it looked so good and I knew my barely sci-fi tolerant wife would bite because of the inclusion of a couple of her favourite Harry Potter actors. And look where that got me!
Brilliant show, good cast, very engaging with good depths to the characters and a fistful of suspense. Give us more
Sin duda esta serie me atrapo desde el inicio hasta el final y me llena de pena que no vallan a sacar una segunda temporada , NECESITAMOS UNA SEGUNDA TEMPORADAAAAAAAA Simplemente la serie aun tenia demasiado potencial por delante y simplemente decidieron no continuar que lastimaaa.
This is just terrible to look up when season 2 is coming, just to read it’s been canceled. WTF! No pride in their work, just oh it didn’t make millions in the first hour so we better scrap it??? Looks like i’ll have to decide if i want to remain a Premium member….. Took me 1 min to decide….no thank you. I’ll keep my money and find another streaming service that’s serious with the work they do. You Tubes promotion department should all be fired!
I love this show so much! I was so upset when I found out they weren’t planning on doing a second season. I really hope this somehow gets the attention it deserves and it gets a second season. I’d even be happy with a movie to wrap everything up! Anything PLEASE I’m dying over here ?
I have re-watch some of my favorite episodes and I love the relationship between the characters. Not to mention those left on a cliffhanger, I mean who does that to not renew the show?! Please bring it back and keep the case that where in it. They did such a good job.
I’ve watched it when it came out … It was so cool buuut … canceled .. I tried to search on the web but nobody knew this show at this time, so I tried to spread it on FB but .. nobody wanted to know … 🙁 I want a second season, I need a second season !!!
please bring back this sci-fi please
I never watch sci-fi and I am hooked on ORIGIN!!! They left us hanging on the most suspenseful part of the series. This should be illegal. If anyone has any ideas how to bring Origin back I’m dying to know what we can do?
Where am I supposed to make noise to save this series from destruction? That is because it is not indicated anywhere or am I overlooking it. Or am I already too late.
As far as I know, no fan effort to save the series has been initiated yet. But there are plenty of things that can be done, and perhaps you can be the one to get it started. More about that here: https://www.cancelledscifi.com/call-to-action/
Hey! I’m not sure if anyone else has taken the step but I created a petition to revive Origin. If you’re like me and appreciate a really good sci-fi show that’s not cheesy please sign the petition the link is attached thank you 🙂
https://chng.it/T2HxQQFtYD
That is definitely a start. We will pass the info along.
Thank you ☺️
Don’t you just HATE IT, when a good show comes around, and some exec’s make a really bad decision and kill the show?! With a little TCL in the advertisement department, this thing would be a winner!!!
But what do I know…I’m just some guy watched a great show, and went looking up why it’s gone, with hopes of finding a way to revive it.
I’ve watched all of the episodes twice. The second time with a friend who hadn’t seen it. He agrees with me that the show is absolutely brilliant. There is so much potential there for more seasons. At the very least a book to continue the story.
Ich hätte gerne gesehen, wie es weitergeht….Wie kann man eine so spannende Geschichte nicht zu Ende erzählen? Es gibt so viel Schrott was 12 Staffeln oder mehr hat….Ich bin echt traurig….
Although this series might not have taken off pre-pandemic it is definitely a must see and a second season worthy series. A lot of people have seen everything on all platforms and need more to watch. Please release the second season. Thank you
It’s a secret opinion held by many that the great unspoken tragedy, the big what-if of the streaming era is: YouTube Originals.
Shudder to think what peak-to-valley chaos occured among its development/creative staffs because, unlike every other streaming service, theirs was a vision that felt cohesive, rogue-minded, pointed and youthful rather than youth-demo thirsty. Nothing else needs be said of YTO’s single bout in the IP tourney — Cobra Kai, a global TKO that dodged cringe trends and political mud flinging — except that Netflix purchased their trophy and probably reworked a victory speech.
As this article attests, YT Originals’ non-IP series like Origin and also Wayne are so delightful and tangy that referring to them in the past tense resonates wrong. And then… If you browse the yet more projects they were forced not to make? It’s like rolling past an HR Giger gestation station partly covered in sheets inside an abandoned Wonka factory. What could have been?
Is it finally time to raise pitchforks and hunt “Baby Yoda”?
All of YTO’s brisk, superlative, serendipitous work, the casting, the acting, the merit. And bleep boop! With brutal efficiency, the entire team is kneecapped and shot out a trap door like a pesky alien cicada by a bored drone or excited robot within Google/Alphabet, forever an exoskeleton, floating, dancing macabre across the memoryhole. Now this, this is cancelling?
Coincidentally, coming in 2024 on Amazon Prime? The $200 million space opera series, Space Trash, written by a divorced couple whose arguments over trash day caught wind of an executive there.
I absolutely loved this show and I know a lot of people did too! I don’t understand why Youtube decided to cancel it so short after it releasing, at least give it a bit of time. I binged Origin as its the best show i’ve watched so far! Come on, bring back at least another season! Hopefully it will be bought from someone else like Netflix
The series was so catchy. I really enjoyed watching it as I watched the whole season in only two days. It had a good story, good casting and everything. It’s a shame that it didn’t get a season 2 at least, and I’m sure if it was on Netflix it would definitely go on. I still hope they continue it
This is such an amazing series! I was so distraught when I had found out they canceled the show after they LEFT ME ON A HUGE CLIFFHANGER! Like, come on guys really? I think they would have gotten a lot more viewers if youtube had promoted it more and they probably could have made a second season. So, hurry up and make that second season already because I want to know what happened….and if you don’t, well let’s just say you don’t wanna know what will happen if you don’t. lol ???
Can cancel origin tv box can get my channel
How can Origin not have a season 2, this series was amazing. Really hope we get a season 2
First of all youtube.. What were you all thinking? Too late for advertisment? If you had announced it earlier near january 2019 specially in our region the philippines.. We all know it is your milking cow but hey! we dont care.. 150 a month is worth than a thousand..you could’ve said it is worth looking for.. We dont care about netflix or hulu or those other cash grabbing loonies. Its about whats available widespread ATM and it was you youtube.. YOU YOUTUBE!!!! your binge series are worth it. Its the content that matters.. Not the popularity
If Netflix picked this up I’m sure it would have been a massive hit(so lazy YouTube). Stumble across it by accident and loved it straight away and so well acted. The very same thing happened to the 21st century version of War of the Worlds, made a brilliant 1st series, but nowhere to be seen since. Does nothing for stress levels when you frustratingly bang your head against the wall sobbing out why, why, why, why.
Firefly all over again. Fantastic first season and canceled. Still worth watching as the last two episodes are really thought provoking, probably why it got canceled.
I am not a huge scifi fan but I really enjoyed this show. I hope it does get a season 2
I’m with you brah%100
Watched it years ago when it FIRST came out and LOVES IT! But I forgot about it till tonight when I started watching it again on you tube tv. I almost don’t want to get into again as good as it is on account of there NOT being a second season anytime in the foreseeable future! Come on, You Tube, get your s*@#: together!!