The Peripheral and 3 sci-fi shows in danger of cancellation in 2023

As we get closer to the end of the year, all eyes are on the shows and movies scheduled to come out in 2023. There’s The Wheel of Time season 2, which should be awesome, a slew of Marvel shows and movies to look forward to, and the highly-anticipated Dune: Part Two, which just wrapped filming. Sadly, we won’t be getting House of the Dragon season 2 or Stranger Things season 5 next year, but I think we’ll be just fine anyway.

Unfortunately, we can also expect a handful of shows to be canceled in 2023. We’ve seen some pretty big cancellations in the sci-fi and fantasy genres this year, including Westworld, Raised by Wolves, and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

We don’t have a confirmed list of what’ll be canceled in 2023, of course, but we know there are a few series in definite danger. Here are three sci-fi shows that could very well be axed in the new year.

The Orville still hasn’t been renewed for season 4

Sci-fi dramedy The Orville returned for its third season in June 2022 on Hulu, subtitled New Horizons, and honestly, it was the best season yet. Comedian Seth MacFarlane created and stars in the satirical series, which follows the crew on the USS Orville starship hundreds of years into the future. Though the first season was not critically received well, the second really improved and the third was fantastic. But are good reviews enough to ensure a renewal order?

In August, MacFarlane said he had “no idea” whether or not The Orville season 4 would happen, although he and the cast want the show to continue. The third season was written with an ending that could be the series finale, but we’re hoping that won’t be the case.

Is The Peripheral season 2 happening?

If you’ve been keeping up with us at Winter Is Coming, you’ll know we were pleasantly surprised by The Peripheral on Amazon Prime Video. The sci-fi series is set in the future and stars Chloë Grace Moretz as Flynne, a young woman who beta-tests a new VR experience. It’s based on the 2014 book of the same name by William Gibson and is executive produced by the creators of Westworld, so you know it’s a twisty story.

After wrapping up its first season in early December, the reviews for The Peripheral have been mixed to average, and without a renewal announced yet, we can’t just assume it’ll return for more episodes. Just like with The Orville, the production value on The Peripheral is pretty high, so we can assume it cost Amazon a pretty penny. That said, Amazon isn’t one to cancel shows as easily as the likes of Netflix or HBO Max, so it’s possible we’ll get another season. At this point, however, it’s certainly in danger.

Avenue 5 could be canceled in 2023

Another sci-fi comedy potentially on the chopping block next year is Avenue 5 starring Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad. If you had no idea this show existed or that it returned for a second installment this October, we don’t blame you. HBO hardly promoted season 2, and despite it getting better reviews than the first, we would be surprised if the show is renewed for a third round.

According to Entertainment Weekly, it was reported the cast members of Avenue 5 were released from their contracts this year, but creator Armando Iannucci reassures fans that everyone wants to do another season. “HBO are very keen,” he claimed. “We’ll make more when we can corral everyone together again. Everyone’s up for it and we’ve already got ideas and thoughts about what happens next.”

But with shows being canceled left and right amid the WarnerMedia and Discovery, no one’s safe! Avenue 5 might be lucky in that it’s an HBO show, not HBO Max, but we wouldn’t bet on it being renewed.

Although hearts will be broken across the globe when some shows are inevitably canceled in 2023, we’ve still got so many to look forward to.

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