The execs at Apple TV+ have decided that time is up for their fantasy series Time Bandits and have cancelled it after only one season. The show did not receive much promotion–as is typical for streaming entries–and it did not make it into the Nielsen Streaming Rankings during its first season run. Its highest popularity score tracked by TelevisionStats.com was 15 and it has averaged only a 6.2 engagement score which counts as moderate according to that site. Deadline had the following comments about how the streaming services are currently gauging the success of their originals:
After the initial round of the streaming wars where gaining market share was the sole objective, streamers have been applying a more disciplined approach in their shift to profitability, with big-budget scripted series like Time Bandits under particular scrutiny, tasked with clearing a higher viewership bar in order to continue.
Apple TV+ has been cutting back on spending lately, so expensive shows like Time Bandits are at risk if they don’t develop much of an audience. Of course, that is difficult to do when the streamer does very little to promote the series.
Time Bandits scored relatively well with critics, currently holding a 78% Fresh Rating according to Rotten Tomatoes, though not so well with viewers as it only has a 48% Audience Score. Co-creator Jemaine Clement had claimed back in July that he and Taika Waititi were writing a second season, so perhaps the property will get shopped around to other venues. But since it did not draw much of an audience and it is expensive to produce, it may not garner much interest.
This announcement counts back the 2023-24 season and the number of cancellations for that year has been creeping up lately. The Cancellation/Renewal Score currently stands at 27 cancelled and ending sci fi and fantasy entries (35% of shows tracked) vs. 36 renewed (46%). You can see the breakdown of the numbers and the full list of shows for the current and prior seasons at our Cancellation Watch Page.
In Time Bandits, eleven-year-old history buff Kevin forms an unlikely alliance with a band of thieves and they set off on a perilous mission across time to save his family and the world. It stars Lisa Kudrow, Kal-El Tuck, Tadhg Murphy, Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, and Rune Temte and it is based on the 1981 movie of the same name by Terry Gilliam.
The 2024-25 season has just begun, but there are still more shows from the prior year waiting for word on their fates, and I expect more announcements to come over the next month or so. You can see the status of all this season’s shows at this link. And be sure to follow this site as well as our Twitter and Mastodon accounts for updates and breaking news.
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In fairness it was utter bloody rubbish.