Sci Fi TV Network Scorecard 2022: Paramount+

Network Scorecard: Scoring the networks based on their history of airing and supporting sci fi and fantasy television shows.

Network Overview

Paramount+ started as CBS All Access in 2014 which was the streaming arm of the CBS broadcast network.  That streamer began producing original scripted programming in 2017, starting with the prequel series Star Trek: Discovery and the non-genre entry The Good Fight.  In 2019, CBS was merged back into Viacom, and the decision was made to expand the streaming service to include properties from across the Viacom networks with the name getting changed to Paramount+ in 2021.  Now the streamer offers a large number of shows and movies from the Viacom and Paramount back catalogues and it is continuing to move forward with scripted originals.

What Type of Sci-Fi Shows Does the Network Air?

With Paramount+, as with CBS All Access, you know pretty much what you are getting as far as sci fi TV: Star Trek, Star Trek, and more Star Trek.  The streamer currently has five active Trek shows (Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, Lower Decks, and Prodigy) with more in the works.  There is some indication that the franchise is getting rather saturated, but that has not slowed development of new shows yet.  Apart from Trek, Paramount+ does have a few other genre entries of note.  Halo: The Series kicked off this year and has been renewed for a second season.  The supernatural drama Evil switched over from CBS after its first season and is now headed to a fourth year.  The globe-trotting adventure Blood & Treasure also made the move from CBS.  Plus, the streamer revived The Twilight Zone for a two-season run and did a mini-series reboot of Stephen King’s The Stand.  So it does have a few non-Trek shows to offer, but for the most part it will be leaning heavily on that franchise for the coming years.

How Quick is the Network to Cancel Sci Fi Shows?

So far, no sci fi/fantasy has been cancelled by Paramount+/CBS All Access after one season.  And only two of its non-mini-series genre originals have ended their runs.  The Twilight Zone was cancelled after two seasons (right at the point that CBS All Access was transitioning to Paramount+), and Star Trek: Short Trek ended after two seasons, though there is always the chance it could resume with new episodes in the future.  In general, originals on the streaming services have had a cancellation rate of only 15% after one season, much better than the 46% cancellation over at CBS (more on that at this link).  Evil is an example of a genre entry that likely would have been cancelled if it remained on the broadcast network but has had a successful run on the streaming service.  So while Paramount+ does not do a lot beyond Trek shows so far, the genre entries that have landed there have had a better chance of avoiding cancellation.

Paramount+ New Scripted Programming

Does the Network Have a Three-to-Four Season Wall?

Paramount+ is one of the few streamers that does not appear to be adhering to the three-to-four-season wall so far. The streaming services base the success of a show on the new subscriptions it brings, and those numbers tend to taper off in later seasons unless it is an event series like Netflix’s Stranger Things or Amazon’s The Boys.  For that reason, we have been seeing streaming originals typically wrap up by their third or fourth season, often with the final season announced in advance.  Star Trek: Discovery is headed into a fifth season and could continue beyond that.  Evil has been renewed for a fourth season and could get a fifth or more.  Non-genre entry The Good Fight will be wrapping up with its sixth season, so Paramount+ appears to have broken through the wall.  The streamer is still a relative newcomer in the scripted original game, though, so we will see if it regresses back to the three-to-four season range for its shows in the coming years.

Network Score

I am giving Parmount+ a score of 3 out of 5 on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest).  Star Trek fans may want to see that higher, but the emphasis on “New Trek” has not resonated as well with all viewers.  Plus, the streamer does seem to be stretching the franchise a bit thin.  Still, Paramount+ gives its shows time to prove themselves and it has branched out beyond Trek with shows like Evil and Halo: The Series.  If the streamer continues to add other genre properties to its lineup and continues to give them time to find an audience, this score will go up.

List of Sci Fi/Fantasy Originals

This is a list of the scripted sci fi and fantasy shows that have debuted on CBS All Access and Paramount+ since the former service launched in 2014. The streamer currently has eight active shows carrying into the upcoming season (or waiting word on their fates).  The list is sorted by number of seasons, and if the show has officially been renewed that is included in the season count.

CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch 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.