Syfy has done the predictable thing and cancelled its smash hit Krypton after a terrible bout of ratings.
Plot points during the second season finale started setting up Season 3 which may never happen now. There were signs the series would be axed, and we didn’t want to see it. However, fans are not giving up hope. Another network or a streaming service may pick the show up.
Fan Campaigns Help Revive A Series
Regarding whether a channel or a streaming service picking up an axed show isn’t unusual.
After Lucifer got axed from Fox in 2018 after three seasons, Netflix saved the show for a fourth with a fifth being the last. Warner Brothers gave the series a second shot because fans, cast and crew all jumped in to help make #SaveLucifer the number one trending hashtag on Twitter. When Netflix agreed to take the series on, an episode called ‘Save Lucifer’ as a way of thanking their viewers for getting them back on the air.
Another example is the NBC time travel series, Timeless. The show got canned after one season, but 72 hours later, the network reversed their decision. The show was cut again after the finale of the second outing. The series received given a two-part finale to wrap up pre-existing plot points.
A third example is the 3D animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series. After Lucasfilm brought Disney, the show got cut. A sixth season aired on Netflix entitled The Lost Missions containing the episodes didn’t receive an airdate.
Because fans wanted to bring the series back, Dave Filoni announced at San Diego Comic Con in 2018 that the show would return but on the new Disney streaming service Disney+. The announcement earned so much fanfare at the 10th Anniversary Clone Wars panel.
The teaser even contained the hashtag #CloneWarsSaved which ended up trending on social media. AOne storyline became the novel, Dark Disciple which ended to Asajj Ventress’s story.
A final example is The Expanse, another Syfy series cut before its time.
Beginning in 2015, the series had outings sold to the network before it got axed in 2018. The Expanse got picked up by Amazon Prime has been going strong ever since.
What Went So Wrong With Krypton?
While the series is a fan favourite, Krypton’s ratings became its downfall. However, this isn’t the only issue. Unlike Season 1 which aired in March 2018, the second aired in the American summer in June. This isn’t a great time to air a show on a US network as few people would be watching.
According to Bam! Smack Pow!’s Mike McNulty, the Superman prequel’s canning had nothing to do with the critics. It fell due to ratings and he’s correct. For a series, it needs high or moderate figures to be renewed. The reason for this is because of the money that goes into the a high budget show like Krypton. Because of the low ratings, the show wasn’t generating enough money for a renewal.
Also, Krypton isn’t the only series to suffer this fate. In June, it was announced a Lobo series was in development with showrunner Cameron Welsh. However, when the main show was axed, any chance of Lobo getting his own series went up in flames.
Another little something fans were concerned about when Syfy didn’t issue a renewal announcement after the finale. Last year, Season 2 was announced 24 hours before the Season 1 finale because of high ratings.
What Happens Now? How Can Fans Help?
While there’s nothing us fans can do for the moment, we just need to see whether the showrunners will pitch the show to other networks or streaming services. Some media outlets are reporting that if the series is picked up, it may be air on DC Universe. The service already streams Season 1. They’ve also suggested the upcoming HBO Max. These two would make perfect sense given the content in seen the show.
Okay, so we were kidding ourselves when we said fans just need to be patient. The hashtag #SaveKrypton is already trending on Twitter in the US after only a couple of hours of the news breaking. While the tag isn’t in the Top trends, it should use our help to get there so be sure to tweet #SaveKrypton and be sure to get everyone you know to retweet.
Seeing such a great prequel go after two seasons when the plot was just getting good is so disheartening. Most of the Worlds of DC films were outright flops. Looking at you Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League!
The Arrowverse is doing perfectly well on The CW while non-franchise shows are struggling. We need to stop being choosy and stop bagging all these other productions out. So, please get onboard the #SaveKrypton bandwagon. Also, a fan recently set up a petition which has over 1500 signatures. Sign this, and it might help us get our show back on the air.
If The Show Is Picked Up By Another Network, What Happens With The Story?
Season 2 started setting up new plot threads for Season 3. These included:
- Jor-El becoming a ‘god’ on Earth
- The introduction of Hawkpeople and Thanagar or Parademons and Darkseid
- General Zod breaking out of his Black Mercy fantasy
- Doomsday breaking free of his ice prison
- Nyssa and Seg reunite with their little boy
- Jayna and Dev’s Hook Up
- Seg teaming up with Lobo to save his son
There are so many stories they tell if the show is picked up by someone else. They wouldn’t rewrite the story. Lucifer didn’t when it moved to Netflix. They just picked up the story like the move never happened.
Is Boycotting Syfy Really The Answer?
Syfy has a lot to answer to when it comes its third-party shows. It’s becoming a pattern that they buy the rights to television series just to snag viewers. After they get the numbers, they dump the series the moment the ratings drop. Also, all they want people to tune into the shows they actually produce.
The pattern appears when you look at The Expense, Nightflyers, and Krypton. The three of these shows are third party because they weren’t produced by Syfy.
Amazon Prime picked up The Expense and it was successful because fans rallied around the show to be continued. Whatever happens with Krypton, fans will be over the moon. Though, Syfy needs to wake up to themselves and seeing as what they’re doing to their imported shows is wrong.
We don’t condone calling networks out on their mistakes, but we believe putting Krypton on during a time period when not many people tuned in was deliberate. We wanted to point out that most the shows are produced by the network. Also, none of the programs have done poorly in the ratings.
Whether this is a coincidence or not, we’re not sure but we hope its not. Syfy might not have the largest audience but if they keep dumping their third-party shows, they’ll lose all their viewers who tuned to watch the non-produced Syfy shows.
Want to pitch in to help bring Krypton back to our screens on a different network? Be sure to tweet #SaveKrypton to get it trending in your country and be sure to follow the petition mentioned above.
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