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.
There was a lot going on this week in sci fi TV news and I’m going to try to run it all down as quick as possible so that we can all get back to watching the many genre entries airing and streaming this Fall.
Netflix is now cancelling shows before they even get started as the streamer has put an end to the development of the Grendel TV series based on the comics by Matt Wagner. That show–about a masked assassin who fights organized crime but then takes over the crime scene himself–already had its cast set including Abubakr Ali (The Walking Dead: World Beyond) in the lead role, and it appears that production had started on the episodes. There is no word on why the Netflix Red Queen delivered her “Off With Their Heads!” verdict for this one, but it will be shopped around.
And speaking of cancellations, HBO Max has taken that to the next level by cancelling the animated sci fi series Final Space out of existence. It is getting classified as a tax write-off (the same thing parent company Warners Bros. Discovery is doing with the Batgirl movie), and the terms of that are that it can no longer be made available on any platform or on home video. This is a chilling development in the entertainment industry and fans are currently fighting for the show to keep it from disappearing.
The Armor Wars TV series starring Don Cheadle in the role of War Machine is no longer happening at Disney+, but the Armor Wars movie starring Don Cheadle in the role of War Machine is happening on the big screen. Apparently that project has been shifted to the movie queue and it will probably be hitting theaters at some point in 2024.
Although the comedy series Community is not really sci fi, it is a show beloved by fans for its many genre references and it is finally getting the long-promised movie. “Six seasons and a movie” was always the mantra for that show which was constantly in danger of cancellation, and Peacock has ordered the movie with creator Dan Harmon attached. Original stars Joel McHale, Danny Pudi, Alison Brie, Gillian Jacobs, Jim Rash, and Ken Jeong will be returning, and there is no word yet on Yvette Nicole Brown, Chevy Chase, and Donald Glover. Community will also be making the move over to the Peacock service.
In renewal news, AMC is all-in on its vampires for now. The cable net has given an early Season 2 renewal for its upcoming Interview With The Vampire (which premieres October 2nd) based on the Anne Rice novels. That news comes as no surprise as the network has paid well for the rights to the property and they are certainly hoping that vampires will become the new zombies for the network as the audience for the TWD franchise fades.
Among the current streaming services we have Disney+, Paramount+, Apple TV+, AMC+, and now we are going to be getting MGM+. Nonplussed yet? The cable/streaming service EPIX will be rebranding to MGM+ at the beginning of 2023. Whether that will plus-size the subscription fee has yet to be announced. The genre shows War of the Worlds, From, and Britannia are currently exclusive to that service in the U.S.
In casting news, George Takai is one of several actors that will be joining Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. He will be voicing the ancient spirit Koh and you can see the details of the other castings at this link. Taika Waititi’s Time Bandits TV series is still going forward at Apple TV+ and Friends alum Lisa Kudrow will be joining the cast of that show.
In ratings news, NBC’s La Brea returned for its second season with numbers down from what it saw in its first year. It posted a 0.49 rating based on same-day viewing for the 18-49 demographic with four million total viewers for its premiere on Tuesday, down from its 0.58 average last season. That does not put the show in jeopardy right away, but that is not a strong start for its second year. Over on CBS on Thursday, Ghosts did much better with its second season premiere posting a 0.55 rating in the demo with 6.5 million total viewers. It even improved upon its lead-in from Young Sheldon. More on the streaming and linear ratings for sci fi TV shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
In scheduling announcements, FX’s American Horror Story has received an October 19th premiere date for its eleventh season. It will be subtitled NYC and will take place in . . . well, I think you can figure that out. Next week brings quite a number of premieres leading off with the return of Syfy’s Chucky for its second season on Wednesday. Also that night, the new series Reginald, the Vampire will have its premiere on Syfy as well as the third season of Kung Fu on The CW. Other premieres on the way next week include Pennyworth Season 3 (HBO Max, Thursday), The Midnight Club (Netflix, Friday), and Let the Right One In (Showtime, Sunday). You can see all the premieres for October and beyond at this link and you can see the Weekly Listings here.
Did I miss anything? Probably because I am spending a lot of time reading episode recaps of House of the Dragon trying to keep up with all the show’s characters and history, so let me know in the comments below.
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 of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
