Sci Fi TV Highlights: Premieres for Star Trek Lower Decks S5 and What We Do in the Shadows S6, Starfleet Academy Gets S2 Renewal, and More

Sci Fi TV Highlights: A look at the upcoming schedule of sci fi and fantasy shows as well as recent news and/or trailers of note.

Sci Fi TV Premieres This Week:

Star Trek: Lower Decks (Paramount+): This animated comedy series focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos. The first two episodes of the fifth and final season premiere on Thursday.

What We Do in the Shadows (FX): Nandor, Nadja, Laszlo, Colin and Guillermo will enter the workforce, visit New Hampshire, go to a human dinner party, fête The Baron and conjure a demon — all while trying to find their place and their purpose in this crazy, mixed-up world. The sixth and final season premieres Monday at 10 PM EST.

Schedule Notes:

Wrapping up this week is FX’s Grotesquerie which will have its season finale on Wednesday. There has been no word on a second season of that show yet. Then on Thursday, The Legend of Vox Machina will drop the final three episodes of its third season and that one has already been renewed for a fourth year. Finally, on Sunday Tales from the Void will release the final two episodes of its first season. There has been no word on a second season of that one yet. Below are the full listings for the current week, and you can see all of the premieres for October and beyond at this link. The two-week view of the schedule is available here.

Prime Time Sci Fi TV Listings for the Week of Oct 21 – Oct 27

Links are to the show pages on this site with additional series info, trailers, updates and more. Broadcast/Cable Listings Source: Zap2It.com

Sci Fi TV News of Note:

Announced at the New York Comic Con this weekend, the live-action Trek series Starfleet Academy has received a second-season renewal ahead of its first season premieres. That one is currently filming with plans for it to premiere in 2025. Following is the logline for the show:

Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself.

Also announced, Orphan Black‘s Tatiana Maslany will be coming onboard the show in a recurring guest star role.

Another show receiving an early renewal notice during NYCC is Rick & Morty.  That animated sci fi comedy, which is heading into its 8th season in 2025, was already renewed through its tenth season, and now Adult Swim has picked it up through its 12th year which will keep it going until around 2029 or 2030.

Stephen King’s fantasy book Fairy Tale is being adapted as a television series by A24.  Originally planned as a film, the production company decided it was better suited for longform story-telling.  Paul Greengrass, who wrote the screenplay for the film and was set to direct, will remain onboard the project and Peter Rice will executive produce.  Deadline gives the following description for the property:

Fairy Tale follows a 17-year-old boy who inherits the keys to a portal and enters a terrifying world where good and evil are at war. The stakes of both worlds are immense. The magic in the tale is King taking his time to frame out the world of the teen, Charlie Reade, and a kindness he extends that eventually rewards him with a magic sundial that gains him entry into the portal. That leads to the epic battle of good and evil, but it doesn’t happen until about 100 pages in. 

No network is attached at this point, but the show should draw plenty of interest.

Amazon’s Prime Video fantasy series God of War has gone through a behind-the-scenes shakeup.  Showrunner and executive producer Rafe Judkins and executive producers Hawk Ostby and Mark Fergus have left the show due to the dreaded “creative differences”.  A new showrunner and writers’ room will be put together to start work anew on the show that focuses on the Greek God of War Kratos.

Amazon has announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger, Kevin Hart, and Keanu Reeves are among the actors that will lend their voices to the upcoming adult animated series Secret Level.  That show features original stories set within the worlds of some of the most beloved video games and is set to premiere December 10th.

Keep up with the latest sci fi TV news and discuss current and past shows at r/SciFiTV and stay up to date on the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts.

Upcoming Sci Fi TV Premiere Dates:

Several premiere dates for upcoming sci fi and fantasy TV entries have been announced at NYCC (and also over the past week). Here is a rundown on those:

Daredevil: Born Again (Disney+) Premieres Mar 4

Dune: Prophecy (HBO) Premieres Nov 17

Invincible (Prime Video) Season 3 Premieres Feb 6

Mayfair Witches (AMC) Season 2 Premieres Jan 5

School Spirits (Paramount+) Season 2 Premieres Winter 2025

Star Trek: Section 31 (Paramount+, Movie) Premieres Jan 24

The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC) Season 2 Premiers Spring 2025

You can keep up with all the sci fi TV premieres at this link.

Sci Fi TV Trailers:

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+): The series follows Captain Pike, Science Officer Spock, Number One and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise, in the years before Captain Kirk boarded the starship, as they explore new worlds around the galaxy. Season 3 premieres in 2025.

You can see more recent sci fi TV trailers at this link.

More from 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.

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.