The Last of Us and 14 other fantasy/sci-fi shows that won’t be back in 2024

7. The Sandman season 2 (Netflix)

The Sandman is a Netflix show based on Neil Gaiman’s comic of the same name, which follows an anthropomorphic being named Dream as he travels to wondrous places like Hell, the Greece of ancient myth, the fairy realm, and Florida. Gaiman’s comic is sprawling and emotionally rich. The first season did an excellent of adapting this seemingly un-adaptable comic for the small screen. Unfortunately, we’ll be waiting a while for the follow-up.

I think you know the story by now: the second season of The Sandman started filming, but had to shut down due to the strikes. Production resume late in the year, but not soon enough for a 2024 release to be practicable.

That said, with The Sandman specifically, there is a little bit of wiggle room. Netflix released a couple new episodes of the show a week after the first season dropped. They were only tangentially related to the main narrative and stood on their own. There are a lot of stories like that in the comic, so in theory Netflix could drop a standalone episode or two before the end of 2024. But the main course won’t be served until 2025.

8. One Piece season 2 (Netflix)

One Piece, the Netflix show based on Eiichiro Oda phenomenally popular manga series, shouldn’t have worked. Netflix has a pretty spotty track record when it coms to turning anime series into live-action TV shows. But this One Piece series retained retained the zippy bounce of the original, all while bringing the story to a whole new audience. Netflix renewed it weeks after the premiere.

However, that renewal came in the midst of the strikes, so the cast and crew couldn’t get moving immediately on a second season. One is coming, but we’ll have to wait until 2025 to see it.

9. Gen V season 2 (Amazon Prime Video)

Finally, we get to a show that aired after the strikes were over. This spinoff of The Boys is set at a superhero college where suspicious goings-on have been noted. The series is every bit as brutal and vulgar as its progenitor, but with a whole new perspectives on the morally bankrupt world of professional superhero-ing. Amazon renewed it in the middle of its season 1 run. It should film in 2024 and premiere in 2025.

10. Wednesday season 2 (Netflix)

Netflix renewed Wednesday way back in January of 2023, and no wonder: the first season of the show was a monster success that had everyone doing Jenna Ortega’s herky-jerky dance and practicing their stone-faced stares. Netflix wanted to get working on a second season of his Addams Family riff as soon as possible.

I’ll bet you can guess what happened: Hollywood shut down from May through September during the strikes, and things were put on hold. Last we checked, they were trying to get production going in the spring of 2024. That likely means a 2025 release date.

11. Twisted Metal season 2 (Peacock)

The first season of Twisted Metal was a pleasantly irreverent riff on the long-running car combat video game series of the same name. Not every video game adaptation needs to have the class and polish of The Last of Us. Sometimes a murderous clown with a secret dream to be a stand-up comedian is enough.

Star Anthony Mackie announced that Twisted Metal will be back for a second season at The Game Awards. That aired late in the year, so we won’t expect more episodes until 2025.