Cancellation Watch: Status updates for the sci fi and fantasy shows on the broadcast networks, cable channels, and streaming services as well as breaking news on the currently airing, returning, and upcoming genre entries.
Status Updates
The Orville (Hulu, Completed 3rd Season, On the Bubble): The third season of The Orville streamed in Summer 2022 and there has been no word on its fate, but there have been persistent rumors that a fourth season could happen. However, somebody on Reddit took note of a recent update to the show’s page at Disney+. Previously the site indicated “2017-Present” for its run but that has been changed to “2017-2022”. It’s a fairly minor detail, but it could be significant. The Hulu page (it is streaming on both services) only shows the start year, so nothing has changed there. But perhaps the decision has been made behind the scenes not to continue the series. Or maybe there are just no immediate plans, so they are trying not to get hopes up for a fourth season arriving anytime soon. In any case, this could be bad news for the show and I am moving it to Bubble status (I was already close to that point considering the long delay and the impact of the strikes). Fans should certainly take this opportunity to step up efforts to convince Disney to keep the show going.
Surrealestate (Syfy, Airing 2nd Season, On the Bubble): The second episode of this supernatural drama’s sophomore season slipped to a 0.02 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographics with 163K total viewers. Those numbers are pretty low even for a Syfy entry and I am moving the show to Bubble status. It is possible that international partnerships could keep it afloat, but the network has done very little to promote its return. Fans should definitely take to the social networks to make some noise and bring this one more attention.
Shining Vale (Starz, Airing 2nd Season, On the Bubble): This supernatural dramedy returned for its second season last Friday with almost no promotion, and not surprisingly it did not score well in the ratings. It managed only a 0.01 score in the demo with 104K total viewers for its Season 2 premiere. The Nielsen numbers for most of the shows on that premium cable channel have been low of late, and it is possible this one is making up some slack with digital viewing on the Starz app. But the lack of promotion is concerning and I will be starting this one On the Bubble.
Ahsoka (Disney+, Completed 1st Season, Renewal Possible): This Star Wars series has spent four weeks in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings so far (three in the Top 5), and has averaged 588 million minutes of viewership per week. It was originally billed as a limited series, but the finale made it quite clear that there is much more of the story to tell. There has been no word on a renewal at this point, but it should have a decent shot at continuing unless the cost-cutting (which has led to the demise of several other Disney+ shows) gets worse at that company.
The Changeling (Apple TV+, Completed 1st Season, Renewal Possible): This horror series has wrapped up its first season and there has been no word on a second yet. It ended on a major cliffhanger, and according to the showrunners a two-season run was always the plan for the show. It has not made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings, but that is not uncommon for Apple TV+ entries. Fans should definitely make some noise in support of this one to bring it more attention and improve its chances of continuing to a second year.
Cancellation/Renewal Score:
Prime Video’s animated superhero series Invincible had been renewed in advance through its third season and I have that factored into the numbers now. The current score for this season’s sci fi and fantasy shows is at ten renewals (38% of shows tracked) vs. three cancelled and ending shows (12%). Below are the season’s numbers, and you can see the list of shows and keep up with the score throughout the week at our Cancellation Watch Page.
| Show Count | 26 | ||
| Cancelled | 2 | 7.7% | |
| Ending | 1 | 3.8% | 11.5% |
| Renewed | 10 | 38.5% | |
| On the Bubble | 2 | 7.7% | |
| Renewal Possible | 11 | 42.3% | |
| Mini-Series | 1 |
Be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates. And for the latest news and discussions on sci fi and fantasy television, follow r/SciFiTV
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.
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