Paramount+ had previously given the go-ahead to a second season of kid-focused animated series Star Trek: Prodigy, but the series has now been cancelled ahead of that. Additionally, the Hollywood Reporter notes, Prodigy will be removed from the streaming platform altogether.
The surprising decision to remove the series—which will mean a tax write-off for the streamer, a tactic we’ve also seen recently from Disney+ and Warner Bros.—affects a handful of other Paramount+ series beyond Prodigy, including Grease spin-off Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, which just wrapped on June 1. But the Prodigy news cuts especially deep, not least because the series is the first Trek show to end after just one season, but also because a second installment had already been confirmed. Now, that’s obviously not going to happen—at least at Paramount, as THR further noted that the show will “complete post-production on season two...and producers CBS Studios will shop both seasons to a new buyer.”
Paramount+, which will soon be adding Showtime to its platform, had this to say to THR, via a spokesperson for the streaming service:
“As we prepare to combine Paramount+ and Showtime later this month in the U.S., we are refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience for subscribers. This is consistent with our content strategy since launch and across our business, which ensures we make smart, efficient choices, informed by audience data and insights. We are removing select programming as we look to optimize Showtime’s robust slate of premium originals.”
The trade notes that other series will also be removed, though “nothing more high profile” than what was revealed today; the full list is Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, Queen of the Universe, and The Game, which will have officially “completed their runs on Paramount+” and will be MIA starting next week. Star Trek: Prodigy writer Julie Benson took to social media to share her understandable sorrow—and put forth a plea for the series to be picked up elsewhere.
Update, 3:30 p.m. ET: Prodigy writers and co-creators Dan and Kevin Hageman have also weighed in with a similar response.
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