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.
Babylon 5 fans may not be too thrilled about the potential reboot of the series in the works, but they have to be happy about the announcement made by J. Michael Straczynski this past week on Twitter. An animated B5 movie is on the way, likely to be streaming on HBO Max (soon to be just Max):
BABYLON 5 ANIMATED MOVIE coming from Warner Bros. Animation & WB Home Entertainment! Classic B5: raucous, heartfelt, nonstop, a ton of fun through time and space & a love letter to the fans. Movie title, release date and other details coming one week from today. #B5AnimatedMovie pic.twitter.com/5ylImI65mm
— J. Michael Straczynski (@straczynski) May 3, 2023
He went on to say that the film is “already finished and in the can” and it is “coming out very soon”. This will take place in the universe of the original series and is not related to the reboot. Further details on the movie will be released this coming week, so stay tuned for more info. As for the reboot, there have been no updates so it is unclear where that stands.
The Writer’s Guild of America voted to go on strike this past week and that has brought production of film and television to a halt. Any production needing completed scripts or rewrites will not be able to move forward while the strike is going on. Shows like House of the Dragon Season 2 were already in production with completed scripts, but they could run into a stoppage if rewrites and revisions are required. And if this turns into an extended strike like in 2007-08 (that ran for 100 days) it will definitely impact the start of the Fall 2023 season. You can read more about the strike and how it will impact sci fi TV over at CancelledSciFi.com.
Netflix decided to announce a renewal for a change as it has given the third-season nod to its post-apocalyptic fantasy series Sweet Tooth, though that will be its final season. The streamer apparently had already given the greenlight for production to start on the third year (likely to get ahead of the strike) as most of the filming has been completed. The first season performed well in viewership and the second season (which debuted last week) started out at Number 2 in the streamer’s Top 10. A three-year run with the third season announced in advance as the last used to be common at Netflix, but that streamer has been quick to pull the plug on its shows of late. The third season of Sweet Tooth could see a quick turnaround and premiere in late 2023 or early 2024.
In casting news Sydney Chandler has been cast in one of the lead roles in the upcoming Alien series that is in the works at FX. Not much is known about the series at this point, but creator Noah Hawley has revealed the following:
It’s the first story in the Alien franchise that takes place on Earth. It takes place on our planet, near the end of this century we’re currently in — 70-odd years from now.
The show has been on a long development oath since 2020, and the current writers’ strike will obviously slow things down further.
In the streaming ratings, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone held on for a fourth week in the Nielsen Top 10 for original shows, repeating at the Number 6 slot with an estimated 389 million minutes viewed. That show already had a five-week run in the Netflix Top 10 and could be on track for a third-season renewal. 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 premiere of the third and final season of Netflix’s animated Ultraman reboot on Thursday as well as the premiere of the Korean post-apocalyptic series Black Knights on Friday. Then on Sunday the eighth and final season of Fear the Walking Dead has its two-hour premiere on Sunday. Next week will also bring season finales for Fantasy Island (FOX, Monday), Ghosts (CBS, Thursday), Titans (HBO Max, Thursday), Citadel (Prime Video, Friday), and The Power (Prime Video, Friday). You can see 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.
