The animated series Star Trek: Prodigy has been cancelled by Paramount+ amidst corporate struggles. That show had previously been renewed for a second season and that was in the works, but it will be removed from streaming on Paramount+ as a write-down and shopped to other venues. Paramount has been struggling and there are questions about the viability of its streaming service as it continues to spend large amounts on its originals (something that is starting to impact many of the streamers). Prodigy had been well-received as a show that introduced younger audiences to the Trek franchise, but apparently it was not bringing in enough subscriptions to justify its cost. The second season will be completed according to the executive producers, and it is possible that both seasons could find a home at Nickelodeon where the show previously aired following its streaming run.
At this point, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is still on track for a third season, Star Trek: Lower Decks will be returning for a fourth season and has been renewed for a fifth, Star Trek: Discovery has a fifth and final season on the way, and new series Starfleet Academy is in the works. Whether all of that goes forward as currently planned remains to be seen.
With this announcement, that makes Star Trek: Prodigy only the third entry in the franchise to be officially cancelled. TOS was infamously cancelled by NBC after three seasons and Enterprise was cancelled after four seasons. Star Trek: The Animated Series only ran two seasons, but there was never an official cancellation announcement and a two-year run was fairly common for Saturday morning shows at that time.
This cancellation counts back to the 2021-22 season because the show premiered in October 2021. The second half of the first season streamed in Fall 2022, but that was due to COVID-related delays. This shifts the Cancellation/Renewal Score for the 2021-22 season to 49 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy shows (45% of shows tracked) vs. 52 renewed (48%). You can see the full list of shows at our Cancellation Watch Page.
Star Trek: Prodigy follows a motley crew of young aliens who find the abandoned Starfleet ship the USS Protostar and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony. With the Emergency Training Holographic Advisor in the form of Captain Janeway, they must learn to work together as they make their way from the Delta Quadrant to the Alpha Quadrant. The voice cast includes Brett Gray, Ella Purnell, Jason Mantzoukas, Angus Imrie, Rylee Alazraqui, and Kate Mulgrew.
The 2022-23 season will be coming to an end next month, and there are still more announcements on the way. You can see the status of all the shows currently awaiting word on their fates at this link. And be sure to follow this site and the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site in the coming weeks for updates and breaking news.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season 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 you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
