'Y: The Last Man' getting full FX series as 'Y'

One of the buzziest and most beloved comics not to feature superheroes in the medium’s recent history, Y: The Last Man has been on its way to the screen seemingly as long as it’s been out in stores. Now, with its pilot apparently pleasing some of the higher-ups at FX, the show has been ordered to series, the network announced Monday.

Fans are finally getting at least one season based on Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s Y: The Last Man, simply titled Y. The post-apocalyptic sci-fi show based on the idea that all men are dead aside from one, will premiere in 2020, according to Nick Grad and Eric Schrier, Presidents of Original Programming, FX Networks and FX Productions.

"One of the things we’re struggling with Y, there is so much frantic energy around competition around sense of volume," said FX CEO John Landgraf at the network's TCA conference. "Platforms putting hundreds of shows on the air, everyone feels anxiety to compete. I feel the enemy of excellence is time."

After that reference to the history of failed Y: The Last Man adaptations and this one's long gestation period, Landgraf turned to optimism. "I have enormous respect for team working on Y. Not an easy adaptation to get right. Things slow down, collectively we make the judgment they need more time to get it right. We have a lot of care in making and marketing so FX is a good brand to find really good programming."

The TCA announcement also solidified the stellar casting lineup for the matriarchal series, which includes Barry Keoghan, Imogen Poots, Lashana Lynch, Juliana Canfield, Marin Ireland, and Amber Tamblyn — all led by Diane Lane.

“Brian and Pia’s exploration of a world without men is a favorite for its depth, its humor, its insights, and its monkey,” said showrunners Michael Green and Aida Mashaka Croal. “Adapted today it offers us a cracked mirror to look at our own very cracked world. We thank them for their trust — we thank FX for their support — and we thank the casting gods for letting us work with this incredible group of actors.”

The show will tackle the comic’s 60-issue run when Y premieres in 2020 with a pilot directed by Melina Matsoukas. For all of SYFY WIRE’s TCA coverage, click here.