As 2025 dawns, fans of several sci-fi and fantasy shows may be worried about incoming cancellations!
As great as it is to see a lot of sci-fi and fantasy shows rising up in the last few years, there's always the risk of some series ending sooner than expected. 2024 saw a lot of shows axed, many after just one year. That includes highly anticipated series like The Acolyte, Dead Boy Detectives and more. The same could happen in 2025, with several shows potentially on the chopping block.
Some are obvious due to lower viewership. Others may be huge and seemingly successful, but various factors could work against them. Here are 15 genre shows in danger of getting canceled this year.
The Wheel of Time
The Wheel of Time is Prime Video's ongoing adaptation of the massive Wheel of Time book series by fantasy author Robert Jordan. The third season will premiere on March 13 and mostly adapt The Shadow Rising, the fourth of 14 books in the series. It would be a shame if the show were cut short before it adapted all or even most of Jordan's sprawling tale, but it is possible.
While The Wheel of Time show has found an audience, it hasn't been the smashing success it would need to be to guarantee itself a long life on the platform. Prime Video renewed the show for a third season before the second even aired, but we've heard no news about a fourth. We get the idea that Amazon is watching to see how season 3 does before going any further.
The good news is that the second season was a step up in quality from the first, and the fourth book is among the most beloved in the series. Hopefully that comes together for a great third season that beats viewing expectations. If not, the show could be in trouble.
The Sandman
Like One Piece, this Netflix show has a large budget. It's am ambitious series that aims to adapt the original DC Comics series, about the immortal lord of dreams, ran for 75 issues, and the TV show isn't close to adapting everything yet. In fact, behind-the-scenes images from the second season indicate that the producers will be skipping over a ton of material and going right to the end of the story, so it's possible they're already planning to cut things short.
Maybe that's because the show is just too expensive and elaborate to be worth spending the money it takes to make. At least it looks like the show will go out on its own terms, rather than getting cut off suddenly in the middle of the story. There's also the issue of original Sandman writer Neil Gaiman being accused of heinous behavior. All productions based on his work are in danger, and The Sandman is no exception.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
This Disney+ series did a good job in its first season of adapting the long-running YA series by Rick Riordan, about a young boy who finds out that he's the son of the Greek god Poseidon. Yet it faces a few challenges ahead of its second season. For one, the actors aging up between seasons may become a problem for the storyline, even if the books themselves show Percy and his friends growing up. That's complicated by things such as the high budget.
Disney is hopeful they can keep it up to adapt all seven books in Riordan's Percy Jackson series, but that may be a committment they can't stick to. If the viewing numbers for the second season, due out this year, don't hit the highs Disney is looking for, it's quite possible that they will axe the show. That will give the TV series something in common with the big-screen Percy Jackson movies, ended before their time.
Harley Quinn
This wild HBO animated series has just debuted its fifth season, starring Kaley Cuoco as the insane villain/antihero. The show has been a big success, maybe not in the ratings but in critical and fan appeal. However, given the various issues regarding the DC Cinematic Universe trying to reboot and rebrand itself, new head honcho James Gunn may think it's time to cut another part of the expanded universe out.
Perhaps we can get one more season to bring the show to a fun close. At the least, Harley Quinn deserves to go out with a bang. And we wouldn't mind another season either.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Canceling this Lord of the Rings prequel show might seem like a crazy idea. Amazon paid half a billion dollars for the rights to the appendices to J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic book series and committed almost as much to making the series. The showrunners have said they have a five-year plan for it, and Prime Video spends a lot of resources promoting it majorly. It seems like it's too big to cancel, but there's a chance it could happen.
The most obvious reason is that this show is more expensive than half the shows on this list combined. Even Amazon doesn't have limitless pockets, and with each season being more expensive than the last, it adds up. Combine that with the mixed response to the show, and it's easy to imagine Amazon could cut any losses and drop the series, as it's just too big a show to keep running given the tepid response.
It'd be jarring to see a Lord of the Rings show ending so soon, but it may just too epic for its own good.
Supacell
This Netflix series slipped under the radar but ended up being a sleeper success. The tale of black Londoners gaining superpowers had the vibe of Heroes, and the first season neatly set up a second. Whenever it arrives, hopefully more people watch than saw the first.
However, the fact that Supacell has flown so low under the radar works against it. It's not getting as much buzz as other shows. It the storyline falters in season 2, or if the numbers don't at least hold consistent, it could be in danger. Fans are still hopeful for it to break out, yet there is a good chance Supacell joins the long list of Netflix shows cut short.
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew
The Acolyte, which has axed after one season despite setting itself up for more, proved that Star Wars shows are not immune to being canceled early by Disney. That puts pressure on Skeleton Crew, which has earned good reviews from critics and fans alike who enjoy its touch and cast of young characters going on an adventure. That may not be enough for Disney, as a Star Wars show is always expensive. If they weren't willing to spend money on The Acolyte, they may not want to spend it on Skeleton Crew either.
On the other hand, the first season may wrap up the story in a way that's more or less satisfying, so even if Skeleton Crew doesn't come back, maybe one season was enough. It'd be hard to believe that these kids would jet off on some wild caper so quickly after the first one concluded. That might end up being better, giving us a fun year of this show and letting it go down in history as a one-off lark.
One Piece
Given Netflix's reputation for canceling great shows after one season, it was a pleasant surprise to see the live-action adaptation of the beloved anime series get renewed for a second season. The first season was excellent and left off with the promise of more adventures for Monkey D. Luffy and his crew of pirates, so fans were happy.
That second season is coming, probably this year, yet there is concern that it may be the last. The show has a high budget and flies under the radar compared to other Netflix shows. Combine that with the streamer's tendency to cut shows early, and there are worries that while One Piece got lucky enough to get a second-season renewal, it may not be able to pull off a third one.
Goosebumps
This YA Disney+ show has been a fun ride. Season 2 revealed that it's an anthology series that will tell a new story each time. Given how many Goosebumps horror R.L. Stine has written over the years, Disney could theortically keep making it for a very long time.
The trick is whether people will watch in high enough numbers to justify that kind of longevity, as the show seem a major streaming hit. Disney can hire a new cast each season, which means they won't have to deal with actors demanding more money the longer the show goes on. Goosebumps may well get a third year, but it's just as likely that Disney will shut it down. So fans should enjoy the current volume of Goosebumps just in case Disney closes the book on it after the season that just dropped.
Grotesquerie
Now, this is a slam-dunk of a likely cancellation. Ryan Murphy's latest FX series, about a detective and a nun who team up to solve a string of grisly murders, was a complete mess that ranks as one of the worst shows of 2024. It wasted a cast led by Niecy Nash and features a baffling storyline with one of the most bone-headed attempts at a "shocking" plot twist imaginable.
Throw in the terrible reviews, and the idea that it will get a second season is laughable. Frankly, it's amazing FX hasn't announced its cancellation by now, as this was a disaster of a series that deserves to be forgotten.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
The Star Trek franchise has faded a bit in the last few years. We've lost Discovery and Lower Decks, which puts Strange New Worlds on thin ice. There are the obvious issues of that huge budget, but the series also has working against it the fact it's a prequel to The Original Series. It's getting closer to the events of the original Star Trek, meaning time is running out on its storytelling.
The upcoming third season is promising more action and fun, but with the fate of the franchise up in the air, it's difficult to see it continuing much longer. Again, the fact it's a prequel and thus always had an enddate is a factor, so it could be that they decide to end it after the planned fourth season, rather than ordering more beyond that. While fans would prefer a season 5, the axe might fall on the show sooner rather than later.
School Spirits
This may be a bit of a surprise, as School Spirits exploded as a hit not just on Paramount+ but also on Netflix. Viewers have come to love the show about a teenage ghost trying to solve her own murder. Anticipation is high for season 2 coming later this year, so the stage seems set for a longer run. However, there are a few factors working against it, starting with how that long a delay between seasons could kill some of the buzz.
There's also the fact that star Peyton List is pretty in demand now, so it's iffy whether she'd return for season 3. Also, the actors aging up makes it tougher to buy them as either high schoolers or ghosts. There's also the concern that the show may fall into the trap of having a great first season then a bad second one. Hopefully that won't happen.
The Librarians: The Next Chapter
It seems odd to list a show that hasn't even aired yet, but there are a few red flags to note about this revival of the cult fantasy franchise. First, The Librarians doesn't have the same name recognition as other franchises, so it may be too niche to pull in many viewers. There's the troubled production pipeline; at first, this show was going to air on The CW, but it's now on TNT.
Christian Kane is reprising his role as Jacob Stone from the original show, about a secret organization dedicated to protecting the world from a hidden, hostile reality. It's probable the show will struggle to find viewers on its cable home and not be able to break through. The Librarians may well have to close this new chapter as soon as it opens.
Gen V
With The Boys ending, the fate of this spinoff show is obviously up in the air, although there is a new season coming to Prime Video this year. There's a chance it could continue, showing more of a new generation of "supes" and keeping The Boys universe going. However, if The Boys ends the story conclusively in its final season, which will air in 2026, there'd be no real reason to keep this college-set spin-off going.
The tragic death of star Chance Perdomo was another blow to the show, as his character Andre was a key part of it. Seeing it continue without him will be tough on both the fans and creators. Prime Video may decide it's best to move on after wrapping up the first season's plot threads.
Resident Alien
This cult series has gained a loyal audience who love watching Alan Tudyk as an alien posing as a human doctor in small town Colorado. With its mix of sci-fi, mystery, comedy, and drama, Resident Alien is a delightful show that doesn't have the big viewership it deserves. The upcoming fourth season moves it from Syfy to the USA Network, which may get more eyes on it.
If that doesn't happen, the show could get cancelled, which would be a shame, as this is one of the better sci-fi shows on TV right now. Let's hope the move works out for them.
Twisted Metal
It's been well over a year since the first season of Peacock's adaptation of the hit video game. That's a lot of time for folks to forget what the first season was about and for the buzz to fade. It does appear that season 2, which is due out later this year, will amp up the action with the actual "death race" and tell us more about the show's mythology. Still, this is an expensive show that hasn't yet set the world on fire, which is always dangerous.
Fallout has stolen Metal's thunder when it comes to wild, post-apocalyptic tales based on video games. There's also how star Anthony Mackie is just a tad busy playing Captain America in the MCU, making it harder to work around his schedule. Put it all together and fans should enjoy this coming season of Twisted Metal, as it could be on the road to cancellation soon.
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