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.
An adaptation of Roger Zelazny’s fantasy series The Chronicles of Amber is in the works and is getting a boost from an unlikely source. Latenight host Stephen Colbert has come onboard as producer, partnering up with Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment. The book series focuses on the struggle for power among several of the princes and princesses of Amber which is the one true world linked to other dimensions that are referred to as shadows (Earth is in one of those dimensions). Kirkman acquired the rights to the series several years ago, but the progress on an adaptation has been slow. There is no network attached at this point, but the property should draw plenty of interest. The Chronicles of Amber was a major inspiration for George R.R. Martin’s The Song of Ice and Fire series. But hopefully they don’t invite him to join this production as he has a few other things he needs to complete . . .
TNT is not moving forward with the fourth season of Snowpiercer as mentioned in last week’s column (but it will be shopped around), and now they have yanked The Lazarus Project from the schedule which was supposed to premiere later this month. That network does not seem to know which direction it is going these days (it’s not doing scripted programming, it is doing scripted programming, it’s not doing scripted programming) which makes sense seeing as it is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery which has been in turmoil since the merger. Sister network TBS has also yanked the fourth season of Miracle Workers which would have taken place in a post-apocalyptic setting. The latter show will probably air at some point (or move to Disney+ since it is owned by the Mouse House), but it is unclear if The Lazarus Project–which is an acquisition–will still air on TNT. Allegedly, the scheduling shift is designed to “better support” both shows “later in the year”, but we will see how that works out. The latter series has already aired in Britain on Sky and has been renewed for a second season.
Peacock just announced that Vampire Academy, its series about young vampires, has been cancelled after one season. That one is not to be confused with Netflix’s First Kill, which is a show about young vampires that was cancelled. It is also not to be confused with Showtime’s Let the Right One In, which is a show with a young vampire that appears to be headed to cancellation. Nor is it to be confused with Syfy’s Reginald The Vampire about a young vampire that was surprisingly just renewed for a second season. Vampire Academy is the other show about young vampires. And it was just cancelled.
The CW may have cancelled fan-favorite shows like Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Legacies, and Stargirl (with more cancellations on the way), but they have announced that they will be adding golf to their schedule. Probably the single most boring thing you could possibly watch on television. And to make it just a little bit worse, it is LIV Golf back by Saudi Arabia. You know, the country that viciously murdered a journalist and got away with it? New owners Nexstar Media certainly are turning The CW into a great network, yes?
In renewal news, Starz had given the greenlight for an eighth season of Outlander, but that will be the show’s last. The network has also announced the prequel series Blood of My Blood. Also, Syfy has announced that Chucky will be returning for third season, and Reginald The Vampire will be returning for a second season as mentioned above. Both of those will likely arrive in Fall 2023
In ratings news, The Last of Us pulled in 4.7 million total viewers for its premiere including encore runs and digital viewing on HBO Max making it the second-largest debut of an original for the premium service in the past thirteen years, behind only House of the Dragon. Those are definitely good numbers in the Peak TV crunch environment and the show should be on track for a second-season renewal. Keep up with the renewal/cancellation status of all the current sci fi TV shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
Next week brings the premiere of Wolf Pack on Paramount+ on Thursday as well as the premiere of Lockwood & Co. on Netflix on Friday. Also, on Tuesday, The Winchesters returns from hiatus on The CW. You can see all the premieres for January 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 with This Week in Sci Fi TV and 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.
