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
Invasion (Apple TV+, Status: Renewed): This alien invasion series has received the greenlight for a third season and that will start production later this month. The show has not placed in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings across its first two seasons and has generally not scored well with critics or viewers, currently holding a 56% Tomatometer Score and 50% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. But Apple TV+ has generally been good about supporting its originals so far. There has been no indication at this point that the third season will be the show’s last, but don’t be surprised if that announcement is made at some point.
American Horror Stories (FX, Status: Renewed): This announcement has not received much exposure with the entertainment media, but FX president John Landgraf has confirmed at the TCAs that the spin-off to AHS will be returning for a fourth season. That show made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings for one week during its third season release last October, and it has been fairly well received so far. The fourth season is targeting an October premiere in 2024, and there is no word yet on whether it will have more episodes than the four that made up its third year. The show has not proven to be a huge hit so far, but it will eventually get lumped into the syndication package for AHS and will likely stick around as long as the parent series is still going.
Echo (Disney+, Status: Mini-Series): This Hawkeye spin-off (and Daredevil-connected) series entered the Nielsen Streaming Rankings at Number 4 for the week of its premiere, pulling in an estimated 731 minutes of viewing. All five episodes of the show were available for streaming that day (as opposed to Disney+’s usual weekly rollout) which certainly helped boost its viewership. This one has been billed as a limited series, but there is always the chance that it could return for a second season if the viewership remains strong.
Quantum Leap (NBC, Status: Renewal Possible): This series held at a 0.18 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic for a second week. That is definitely lower than the 0.29 score the show averaged in Fall, but the network had to expect a drop in viewership when they moved it to Tuesdays at 10 PM EST. I am not moving it to Bubble status just yet, but I will keep a close eye on it as it wraps up its second season and fans should definitely make some noise to bring the show more attention.
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal (Adult Swim/Max, Status: On the Bubble): This animated series from Genndy Tartakovsky arrived last Spring with little fanfare on Adult Swim and I did not even realize the show was airing at the time. It is also streaming on Max, but it has not made it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings. There has been no word on a second year yet, but Tartakovsky has indicated that he has plans for future seasons of the show. Fans should certainly take to the social networks with a Call to Action to help get this one a renewal.
You can see the status of all the shows from the current season at our Cancellation Watch Page.
Cancellation/Renewal Score:
In addition to the renewals for Invasion and American Horror Stories, Disney+ also announced a second season for Percy Jackson and the Olympians last week. That brings the current Cancellation/Renewal Score to seventeen renewed sci fi and fantasy entries (43% of shows tracked) vs. only six cancelled and ending so far (15%). Below are this 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 | 40 | ||
| Cancelled | 4 | 10.0% | |
| Ending | 2 | 5.0% | 15.0% |
| Renewed | 17 | 42.5% | |
| On the Bubble | 6 | 15.0% | |
| Renewal Possible | 11 | 27.5% | |
| Mini-Series | 4 |
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.
Invasion is just terribly dull. Very little happens in season 2. They are lucky Apple is relatively new at this and feeling generous. If it were me, I’d cancel it.
Unicorn: Warriors Eternal was surprisingly irritating to watch for some reason. It failed to draw me in like other Tartakovsky works – I didn’t even finish it.