Sci Fi TV Week in Review: Johnny Jay’s irreverent, snarky, and caffeine-fueled look back at the past week in sci fi TV in five minutes or less.
Last week I covered several development announcements but missed one that did not get a lot of attention from the entertainment media. Lionsgate TV is apparently in the early stages of development on a television series based on the Stephanie Meyers Twilight books. It is unclear at this point if this would be a reboot like the Harry Potter series headed to HBO Max or if it would be a further exploration of the property like the Lord of the Rings series on Prime Video. No network or streaming service is attached at this point, but there will certainly be plenty of interest as the name recognition for the franchise would certainly bring in a significant number of viewers/subscribers with it.
In other development news, an animated series is in the works based on the Vampire Survivors video game. Following is the official description of that game:
There lived an evil person named Bisconte Draculó, whose many evil magics created a bad world filled with famine and suffering. It’s now up to the members of the Belpaese Family to end his reign of terror and return good food to the table. There’s no place to hide -all you can do is try to survive a cursed night and get as much gold as possible for the next survivor- before Death inevitably puts an end to your struggles. Mow down thousands of night creatures and survive until dawn!
This is a first-person shooter game where the player kills wave after waver of oncoming monsters, so it is unclear what the series itself would be about. No writer or showrunner has been attached at this point nor has a network or streaming service been identified. But the property should draw some interest.
For those waiting for the second season of the Apple TV+ corporate dystopia Severance, you will be waiting a while longer. That show premiered in February 2022 to much acclaim, but apparently there was behind-the-scenes turmoil in the first season that has carried over to the second. There has been friction between showrunners Dan Erickson and Mark Friedman and Beau Willimon (House of Cards, Andor) has been brought in to help out. Apparently, the streamer is considering a renewal for a third season and possibly beyond, but will need to get that second season completed first. It is moving forward at least, and it will perhaps debut at some point in late Summer or in Fall.
The long-awaited sixth season of Black Mirror finally has a premiere window on Netflix and the guest cast has been announced. Among the names on the list are Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Michael Cera and Salma Hayek Pinault. A teaser has been released, and the Season 6 premiere is set for a June release.
In ratings news, Gotham Knights rebounded from the season low it pulled in its last new episode two weeks ago to a 0.11 score based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with 431K total viewers. It remains one of the highest-rated shows on that network this Spring, though its status is uncertain due to the change of ownership at The CW. If that network does not keep it going, there is a chance it could shift to HBO Max. You can keep up with the viewership numbers and the renewal/cancellation status of all the current sci fi TV shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
Next week brings the second-season premiere of the animated Star Wars: Visions on Disney+ on Thursday. And then on Friday, the dystopian series Silo will have its bow on Apple TV+. The premieres will slow down after that with only three more on the schedule in May, but they will pick up again in Summer. You can see all the premieres for May and beyond at this link and you can keep up with the current schedule at this link.
Be sure to keep up with the news during the week at r/SciFiTV.
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.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates on 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.
