Black Friday came early this year. Usually, the Friday before the Upfronts–when the networks present their upcoming schedules to the sponsors–is the day that many cancellations are announced. But this year, most of the networks got that out of the way on Thursday. The Big Four broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC) made multiple announcements today (TVLine has you covered on all that news), but the only two genre entries from those channels (La Brea and Ghosts) had already been renewed. The CW has usually renewed the majority of its shows this time of year, but it is heading into an impending sale and decided that this year was the time to release the Network Executioner. Legacies, Charmed, 4400, Naomi, and Roswell New Mexico have all been cancelled. Following is the rundown on each.
The supernatural drama Legacies has been cancelled after four seasons, but it was one that I thought would be back for at least one more year. It will have 68 episodes at the end of its current season, and one more season of at least 12 episodes would get it to a total that would make it more attractive to the syndication market. But apparently the current network execs are trying to clear up as much space as possible on the schedule for the new owners, and this was one of several to get the axe. The show will almost certainly still have a life in syndication because it will get bundled with The Vampire Diaries and The Originals from which it was a spin-off. But it certainly seems like an odd (make that poor) decision to not give this popular series at least a final season to wrap up its storylines.
Supernatural reboot Charmed, which has been cancelled after four seasons, is another one I thought would stick around for the same reasons I expected Legacies to be renewed. One more season of 13 episodes would get it to 85 total and make it very attractive to the syndication market. But now it will be capped out at 72 and may leave multiple storylines unresolved. Both Legacies and Charmed ranked high in our season-end poll, but that and other efforts to support the shows did little to sway The CW’s network execs. And apparently this proves that network politics win out over syndication sales even though there is a lot of money to be made in that market.
New Arrow-verse entry Naomi, which was cancelled after one season, could have gone either way. There were early rumors that if Legends of Tomorrow and Batwoman were cancelled (and they were) that Naomi would have a good chance at a second season. But that show’s ratings tapered off as the season progressed, so that may have hurt it. And it also appears that the Arrow-verse is getting a purge, with only Superman & Lois, The Flash, and Stargirl still active. The first of two of those have been renewed for the 2022-23 season, though word is that The Flash is heading into its final year. Stargirl returns for a third season this Summer and there is no word on its fate beyond that. It could make the leap over to HBO Max for future seasons along with Superman & Lois since that is the streaming home for both.
The cancellation of sci fi reboot 4400 after its first season does not come as a surprise. It started off in Fall 2021 with decent ratings, both those numbers dropped when it returned from Winter hiatus in January 2022 and it did not receive much in the way of good buzz from critics or viewers. I have had that one On the Bubble for some time, and I would have been surprised if it managed to sneak by into a second season.
The cancellation of the YA sci fi series Roswell New Mexico, which will be ending after four seasons, did not come as a huge surprise either. That has typically been one of the network’s lower-rated shows (though it does well in digital viewing), and it will still be a couple of seasons away from a syndication-friendly count of episodes because it has only aired thirteen-ep seasons. Fans of that show will certainly hope that the creative team was given enough notice to wrap up its storylines in the upcoming fourth season that will air this Summer.
Renewed for the 2022-23 season are Superman & Lois, The Flash, Kung Fu, Riverdale, and Nancy Drew (yeah, those last two are head-scratchers considering the shows that were cancelled). New series Tom Swift (which premieres May 31st) will have to perform really well to make it to a second season. And as mentioned above, Stargirl could jump over to HBO Max for a fourth season and beyond (watch for an upcoming post where I will ponder the future prospects, or lack thereof, for the Arrow-verse). Joining the schedule next year is the Supernatural prequel series The Winchesters as well as the DC Comics entry Gotham Knights (which is not tied to the Arrow-verse).
We are in the final month of the 2021-22 regular season and more renewals and cancellations are on the way. You can see the status of all the currently airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows on our Cancellation Watch Page. And be sure to stay tuned to this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
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. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
SciFiTVSite.com: 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.
Goodbye to all of my favorite shows 😖