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All the sci-fi TV shows that have been canceled in the past year
A lot of sci-fi shows haven't gotten renewed in the last 12 months. Here's our "In Memoriam" list.
All shows eventually come to an end, and the past year has seen several sci-fi TV series taking their final bow. Some of these shows have been around for over a decade, and some were only around for a season or two.
RELATED: This CW sci-fi series was canceled after just 5 episodes
But sadly for fans, all of them will not see another new episode (barring one of those exceedingly rare "Save Our Show" campaigns, of course). Yet, while these series may not get future seasons, we at least have the episodes that have already aired for us to rewatch. Which is at least better than nothing!
So in case you just need to catch up on which shows are calling it quits this season, or get a reminder on a few you may have forgotten were axed over the past several months, let's dig in.
Pennyworth
This look at the early days of Alfred Pennyworth (played by Jack Bannon) in an alternate version of '60s-era London prior to his service as the Wayne family's loyal butler has officially received the axe and will not return for a fourth season.
Titans
A four-season run is nothing to balk at, especially considering how much early hate Titans got after one of its first trailers said a big "F*** you" to Batman. Remember that controversy? In any case, the adventures of Dick Grayson, Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, and the other young heroes have run out of road, although James Gunn recently asserted that it had nothing to do with him or Peter Safran.
Doom Patrol
The bizarre, wacky, and highly surreal hijinks of Niles Caulder's collection of misfit superheroes was also canceled after four seasons. But it will always remain in our hearts, reminding us of its gonzo creative swings and for helping revive the acting career of Brendan Fraser. Rest In Peace, sweet Doom Patrol.
The Handmaid's Tale
Hulu's Emmy-winning adaptation of Margaret Atwood's celebrated dystopian novel will end after its upcoming sixth season. The good news? The Disney-owned streamer is currently hard at work on a Testaments spinoff show.
Cobra Kai
Netflix saved the critically-acclaimed Karate Kid follow-up series from certain doom in 2019 after YouTube Premium canceled it after two seasons. Since then, the show has done nothing but hone its martial arts skills to become one of the most popular titles in the world of streaming. The Valley saga of Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) will come to an end following the conclusion of its sixth season.
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
The CW pulled the plug on the quirky ensemble show back in April, leaving fans hanging with a major cliffhanger at the end of the series’ seventh season. The move came on the heels of news that ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia are reportedly looking to sell The CW off and trim down its slate of shows.
Batwoman
Another Arrowverse show that got canceled in light of the potential CW sale is Batwoman. The show was the first in the Arrowverse to get canceled after just 3 seasons and went through two Batwomen — Ruby Rose as Kate Kane in Season 1 and Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder in the last two.
The Flash
After a long run, The Flash on The CW will be ending after the upcoming shortened ninth season. The news isn’t unexpected — the show is the longest running Arrowverse series — and also comes on the heels of The CW canceling most of their shows in the lead-up to ViacomCBS and WarnerMedia selling off the network.
In that vein, the CW has seen a slew of additional shows canceled since the first round of cuts listed above. In addition to The Flash, The CW has also canceled Naomi, Charmed, Legacies, 4400, Tom Swift, and Roswell, New Mexico.
Snowpiercer
Another sci-fi show that likely fell victim to a network’s shifting strategy is TNT’s Snowpierecer. We found out in June that the series will end after its fourth season as the network looks to move away from original scripted shows after its parent company, WarnerMedia, merged with Discovery. Last month, it was reported that the final season of Snowpiercer won't air on TNT, as originally planned, but will instead be shopped around to other outlets.
Raised By Wolves
Another apparent victim of the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger is HBO Max’s critically acclaimed series, Raised by Wolves. In June, the company announced that the show about two androids trying to raise humans on a new planet after Earth became uninhabitable, would not get a third season.
Marvel's M.O.D.O.K.
Hulu’s adult stop-animation about everyone’s favorite D-list villain sadly only got one season on the streaming platform. The show, created by Patton Oswalt and Jason Blum, got strong reviews and was one of the last Marvel projects outside the oversight of Kevin Feige’s Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Time Traveler’s Wife, a series adapted by Steven Moffat and David Nutter from the eponymous book by Audrey Niffenegger, only got one season on HBO. The show, which starred Desmin Borges and Natasha Lopez, followed a man who had a genetic disorder that caused him to travel through time asynchronously and meet his wife at different moments in her linear timeline.
Archive 81
Netflix canceled its horror hit Archive 81 in March — a mere two months after its first season's release. The news was surprising to fans not only because of the show’s popularity, but because the first season ended on a cliffhanger.
Space Force
Archive 81 isn’t the only Netflix sci-fi show to get canceled recently. The streaming platform also announced that the high concept comedy show Space Force had a failure to launch after Season 2 despite its all-star cast led by Steve Carell.
Raising Dion
Despite being one of Netflix’s most popular releases of 2019, the streaming platform also canceled the superhero show Raising Dion after its second season. The show followed a single mother who works to protect her son after he gains superpowers, and was based on the Dennis Liu's 2015 comic book.
Another Life
Netflix also canceled the Katee Sackhoff-starring space drama, Another Life, in 2022. The show, which ran for two seasons, focuses on an astronaut (Sackhoff) who leads a crew searching for alien intelligence. The show was not received well critically, which may have been part of the reason for its cancellation.
The Walking Dead
After 12 years, the original Walking Dead series has ended after 11 seasons. While The Walking Dead is over, there are still several other series airing or in the works in the same universe, so the good news is there will be no lack of zombie apocalypse fare for you to watch on AMC.
Fear the Walking Dead
The first spinoff to shamble out of The Walking Dead universe will come to an end after its forthcoming eighth season, which begins airing Sunday, May 14 at 9 p.m. ET. Broken up into two, six-episode chunks, the final season finds finds Morgan Jones (Lennie James) and Madison Clark (Kim Dixons) teaming up to rescue the former's daughter, Mo, from the clutches of PADRE. Three more spinoffs are on the way for a number of fan favorite characters: Maggie and Negan; Daryl Dixon; and Rick and Michonne.
The Expanse
The space drama The Expanse ended last year after six seasons. The show is one of the best dramas out there, sci-fi or not, and hewed closely to the nine-book series by James S. A. Corey. While the show ended with some closure, there are still those three final books that fans would love to see on-screen in some form. Perhaps a movie down the road?
Lost in Space
The Netflix family sci-fi show Lost in Space also ended after its third season, which dropped in December 2021. According to showrunner Zack Estrin, however, the plan was always to have the show end after three seasons, and the Season 3 finale gave the series some closure.
Cowboy Bebop
A hotly anticipated Netflix sci-fi series that got canceled soon after its first season was Cowboy Bebop. The show — an adaptation of the beloved anime of the same name — got mixed reviews and apparently not enough views on Netflix for the streamer to greenlight a Season 2.
