While the premium cable channels HBO, Starz, and Showtime have produced some notable sci fi/fantasy shows like Game of Thrones, Westworld, Outlander, Penny Dreadful, and more, genre entries do not make up much of their overall output. Showtime in particular has only put out a few over the past decade or so and HBO’s genre offerings have represented only a fraction of the network’s total scripted originals. They are still important producers of sci fi and fantasy television, though, so I have included scaled-back scorecards for each, tracking how they have handled genre shows over the past ten years.
HBO
While HBO has developed a reputation for quality genre productions like Game of Thrones, Westworld, Watchmen, Lovecraft Country, and more, sci fi and fantasy has not in general represented a large part of its output. Over the past ten seasons, the network has put out seven genre entries which makes up a little over 16% of its total scripted originals. The cancellation rate has been slightly lower than the network’s general population with 26% ending after the first season (vs 27.5% not including mini-series) and none getting cancelled after two seasons (vs 12% of all HBO scripted originals). However, 38% of sci fi/fantasy shows on HBO have ended by their third season vs 16% across the general population, and Westworld is the only genre entry since the 2011-12 season to make it to the four-season mark (with no word yet on a fifth).
Last year, I gave HBO a rating of 3 on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest), and I am keeping that the same this year. If a genre entry lands on HBO, the network will typically be patient with it and shows like His Dark Materials (a co-production with BBC) and The Leftovers were allowed to wrap up their stories despite tepid at best ratings. I dinged the network a bit for the cancellation of Lovecraft Country after one season, a move that certainly seems odd considering it had decent viewership and brought plenty of awards attention to the network. But apart from that one, HBO has given its shows a chance and has rarely cancelled them without a proper conclusion over the past ten years (Lovecraft Country did finish the story of the book even though a second season was planned, and the same is true of the recently cancelled The Time Traveler’s Wife). It is unclear at this point how the Warner Bros. merge with Discovery will impact the premium cable channel, though most of the shakeups have been at HBO Max so far, and it appears that production of scripted originals will continue as normal at HBO.
List of New Sci Fi/Fantasy Originals Since the 2010-11 Season
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| Game of Thrones | 2010-11 | 8 | Y |
| Westworld | 2016-17 | 4 | N |
| Animals | 2015-16 | 3 | Y |
| His Dark Materials | 2019-20 | 3 | Y |
| The Leftovers | 2013-14 | 3 | Y |
| Avenue 5 | 2019-20 | 2 | N |
| House of the Dragon | 2022-23 | 2 | N |
| Lovecraft Country | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| The Baby (Mini-Series) | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| The Nevers | 2020-21 | 1 | N |
| The Plot Against America (Mini-Series) | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
| The Third Day (Mini-Series) | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| The Time Traveler’s Wife | 2021-22 | 1 | Y |
| Watchmen (Mini-Series) | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
| Years and Years (Mini-Series) | 2018-19 | 1 | Y |
Starz
Starz has not been as prolific among the premium cable channels with only nineteen scripted originals released over the past ten years (that excludes mini-series). And while it has only put out five genre entries during that time, that still represents 23% of its total output. The network has been patient with its shows, having allowed all five of them to get to at least a second season (the same is true for all its ongoing scripted originals). One of those was cancelled after its second season (Counterpart), while two more were cancelled after their third season (American Gods and Ash vs. Evil Dead). Shining Vale is still active and will air its second season in the coming year. Only Outlander (which barely counts as a genre entry) has survived past its third season over the past ten years. Note that The Rook did end after one season, but they played the “limited run” card on that one and counted it as a mini-series.
I give Starz a score of 2 ½ on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest), the same as last year. The network has been willing to consider adding genre entries to its slate of originals and it does show some patience with them early on. But don’t expect them to stick around for an extended period, and Starz will cancel shows without allowing them to wrap up their storylines as it did with American Gods and Ash vs. Evil Dead.
List of New Sci Fi/Fantasy Originals Since the 2010-11 Season
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| Outlander | 2014-15 | 7 | N |
| American Gods | 2016-17 | 3 | Y |
| Ash vs Evil Dead | 2015-16 | 3 | Y |
| Counterpart | 2017-18 | 2 | Y |
| Shining Vale | 2021-22 | 2 | N |
| The Rook (Mini-Series) | 2018-19 | 1 | Y |
Showtime
Of the three premium cable networks looked at here, Showtime has had the least to offer sci fi and fantasy fans over the past ten years. Of the thirty-two ongoing scripted originals the network has released since the 2012-13 season, only four have been genre entries. And two of those were cancelled after one season (50% vs. 34% for the general population) including Moonbase 8 which I am counting as a one-and-done show even though there was never an official cancellation announcement. We are still waiting to hear word on The Man Who Fell to Earth, but a second season of that one is not looking very likely. The other non-mini-series genre entry (Penny Dreadful) ended abruptly after three seasons (allegedly that was planned, but I am dubious). The Twin Peaks revival was counted as a mini-series and that one only marginally counts as a genre entry.
I will keep Showtime’s score at 1 ½ on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest). It has not put out much in the way of sci fi and fantasy originals, they do not last too long, and it only has one show active at the moment (but it is On the Bubble). It does not have anything currently in development, and it does not appear that this is the best landing place for genre shows.
List of New Sci Fi/Fantasy Originals Since the 2010-11 Season
| Series | Start | Seasons | Cancelled/Ended |
| Penny Dreadful | 2013-14 | 3 | Y |
| Moonbase 8 | 2020-21 | 1 | Y |
| Penny Dreadful: City of Angels | 2019-20 | 1 | Y |
| The Man Who Fell to Earth | 2021-22 | 1 | N |
| Twin Peaks (Mini-Series) | 2016-17 | 1 | Y |
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