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.
Another week has passed us by and guess what? No cancellations! After last week’s blood bath with Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Space Force, and Raising Dion all getting sent to the Network Executioner, we were spared any more cancellations over the past seven days. But we are headed into the Upfronts when the networks announce their schedules for the coming season, so next week could see more sci fi and fantasy shows getting the ax. (Be sure to vote for which ones you think should get renewed at this link.)
And despite the thinning of the schedule, more shows are lining up to fill in the gaps. NBC has given an official series order to its Quantum Leap reboot/sequel and that one should be joining the schedule in Fall. Still no word on whether Scott Bakula will make an appearance in that one. And apparently HBO Max still does not have enough DC Comics shows as that streamer is considering a Suicide Squad/Peacemaker spinoff that will focus on Amanda Waller and see Viola Davis return to the role. What’s next? a Peacemaker spinoff starring Jamil the Janitor? (I’d watch that. Jamil Rocks!)
Two big trailers hit this past week (you can see both below), starting with the preview for the upcoming Disney+ “event series” Obi-Wan Kenobi. That one has Ewan McGreggor reprising his role as the titular Jedi Knight and follows his adventures between the third and fourth Star Wars movies when he came to be known as “Old Ben”. Hayden Christensen will also be onboard as Old Ben will be facing off against his former pupil. (Wait, is it a spoiler if I tell you something that happens in a trailer?)
Also, HBO released a teaser-trailer for House of the Dragon, the first of a gazillion spinoffs, sequels, prequels, threequels, etc. that the premium cable company is cranking out for the Game of Thrones franchise. Fans still angry about the way the parent show ended will insist that they will not tune into any of the new shows, but they will.
In schedule announcements, Freeform’s Motherland Fort Salem will be returning for its third and final season on June 10th. In case you have forgotten, that’s the show about attractive young witches. No, not The CW’s Charmed which is a reboot of a previous show about attractive young witches. And no, not the British series A Discovery of Witches which was streaming on AMC+ and had some attractive young witches. And no, not to be confused with The Witcher which has witch in the title which is not really accurate because the Witcher is a monster-hunter and not a witch (though the show does have young attractive witches). Motherland Fort Salem, is the other show about witches, most of which are young and attractive.
Also, Netflix announced June 10th as the premiere of its upcoming vampire series First Kill. That is not to be confused with the previous Netflix vampire series V Wars which was cancelled after one season and which starred Ian Somerhalder (who was previously in the series The Vampire Diaries which was about vampires). It is also not to be confused with the Netflix animated series Castlevania about a guy who hunts vampires and other monsters (which are not the same monsters that the Witcher is hunting). It is also not to be confused with the upcoming AMC vampire series based on the Anne Rice Vampire Chronicle novels. First Kill is the other new vampire series.
In ratings news, nobody is watching Showtime’s The Man Who Fell to Earth. Still. Its second week delivered yet another paltry rating and that show could be falling from the schedule after one season. And not many people watched the second season of Russian Doll because it did not make it into the Netflix Top 10 for its premiere week. That’s not a good thing when the streamer is cancelling shows left and right in a slash-and-burn panic because it lost a handful of viewers. You can read my full coverage of the linear and digital ratings over at CancelledSciFi.com.
On the schedule, next week brings no new premieres. Nothing, zero, nada, none. But don’t be surprised if Netflix or one of the other streamers drops something on us with no notice. [Update: I missed The Time Traveler’s Wife which premieres Sunday, May 15th on HBO. Too many shows to keep up with . . .]
Did I miss anything? Probably because I dozed off while watching Amazon’s Outer Range (man, that show is slow), 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.
Trailers
Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+): The story begins 10 years after the dramatic events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith where Obi-Wan Kenobi faced his greatest defeat—the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, who turned to the dark side as evil Sith Lord Darth Vader. Premieres May 27th.
House of the Dragon (HBO): Based on George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood, the series, which is set 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen. Premieres August 21st.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and keep up with what is airing/streaming each week with our Weekly Listings.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the currently airing sci fi and fantasy shows with our Sci Fi TV Update posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
