Back in June 2023, Paramount+ announced one of the most unexpected news surrounding the Star Trek franchise. The streamer decided to cancel the fan-favorite animated show Star Trek: Prodigy, alongside a few other shows. The official announcement took the internet by storm, as people began expressing their disappointment.
Considering how the show had received appreciation from fans and had managed to bag a massive fanbase, people were left baffled by Paramount’s decision to cancel the show. Thankfully, the show later found a new home under Netflix and also got renewed for Season 2. But people continued wondering what might have actually led the streamer to cancel the show in the first place. So today, let’s take a look at what actually happened.
Why did Paramount+ cancel Star Trek: Prodigy?
Despite being one of the most beloved franchises in pop culture, even Star Trek faced the fate of cancellation in 2023. Unfortunately, despite promoting the message of “live long and prosper”, Star Trek: Prodigy failed to prosper under Paramount, as the streamer announced their decision to cancel the show after just one season. Even though the show had earned popularity and positive reviews, the streamer’s decision left people confused.
Eventually, according to reports from sources via Variety, it was vaguely revealed that Paramount’s decision was strictly data-driven. However, the streamer later avoided sharing any specific data that could have explained the true reason behind the show’s cancellation. Therefore, people were left to speculate, which led them to assume financial cutback and reduction in taxable income as possible reasons behind Paramount’s decision.
However, the worst part was yet to come, because after Paramount+ canceled the show, fans had expected Star Trek: Prodigy Season 1 to at least be available on the streamer for rewatch. Surprisingly, the animated show was not only canceled but was taken off the streamer, entirely. Meanwhile, despite the disappointing and meaningless cancellation, the showrunners didn’t sway from completing the post-production of the show’s season 2 in December 2023.
According to reports, the creators kept on working with the hope that Star Trek: Prodigy S2 might air on Nickelodeon—since it had joint production with Paramount+. However, the showrunners were left disappointed as Nickelodeon didn’t pick up the show either. Soon the animated series was shopped by CBS Studios to other streaming services.
What did Star Trek: Prodigy creators say about the cancellation?
After Paramount canceled Star Trek: Prodigy, co-creators and showrunners Dan and Kevin Hageman opened up about how it all went down. Admitting that their show was always in an odd place under Paramount, the duo opened up to IGN. They further described how “utterly frightening” it was for them to see their years of work getting axed from the streamer entirely.
Claiming how Paramount had launched their streaming services for kids in March 2021, the streamer faced competition from the likes of Netflix and Prime Video. Further, since Paramount+ didn’t have the same animated legacy as other streamers, Dan and Kevin Hageman opened up about the challenges of retaining the audience base for their show.
Kevin Hageman shared,
You’ve spent four years of your life on something you love and adore, and know is good, and to go on YouTube and see nothing of it, like it doesn’t even exist, is frightening.
Dan Hageman noted,
Paramount+ is a younger streamer, so they don’t have as many… people aren’t paying that monthly thing to go and watch animation.
Thereafter, explaining how all of a sudden Paramount had dropped the bomb on them, the showrunners mentioned being confused by the streamer’s plan. Initially told that Prodigy would go off the air, the Hagemans noted that they were later assured production continuation for the second season. Thereafter, as the assurance heightened their hopes, Dan and Kevin Hageman mentioned that CBS Studios announced their plans to sell the show.
When we were told the news, we were shocked. Like, ‘What do you mean, you’re taking it off the air?’ But then they were like ‘We’re still going to pay for Season 2 to finish’ and that was the place of hope because, what studio is going to spend money if they’re not even… and then ‘Oh you’re selling it!
Although Star Trek: Prodigy was originally deemed to be a Paramount+ exclusive, the plan quickly changed. After cancellation, the show went on to find its new home under Netflix, which proved to be an even bigger opportunity for the show and the showrunners.
How did Star Trek: Prodigy find a new home under Netflix?
Just when fans and even the showrunners thought all hope was lost, an exciting announcement came from Netflix. The streamer had picked up Star Trek: Prodigy for not just providing a new home but also for the renewal of the second season. Meanwhile, it’s rather interesting how Star Trek fans have convinced Netflix to resurrect their favorite animated show.
According to THR, after Prodigy was axed by Paramount+ ahead of its planned second-season return, fans decided to take things into their own hands. Gathering 33,000 signatures in a petition on Change.org and raising money via GoFundMe, die-hard fans contracted a plane to fly a “Save Star Trek Prodigy” banner over the offices of Amazon, Hulu, Apple, and Netflix.
Showrunners Dan and Kevin Hageman took to X to praise fans’ unanimous efforts in helping CBS Studios in finding a new distributor for the show. Well, with that being said, Netflix scooped up the previously aired first season of Star Trek: Prodigy in October 2023, and committed itself to completing the second batch by 2024. Therefore, on July 1st, Netflix released all 20 episodes of season 2 on the same day.
Will there be Star Trek: Prodigy season 3?
Now, following the success of Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 under the Netflix banner, fans have been wondering about the future of the show. Curious about whether the streamer will release any further seasons, netizens began sparking questions online. Well, considering how the second season of the animated show tackled all obstacles and yet emerged to be superior and more successful than Paramount+’s season 1, there seem to be high hopes for the show.
Previously, after Star Trek: Prodigy premiered on Paramount+, it managed to earn a 79% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, following its cancellation and shift to Netflix, season 2 of the show ended up garnering a staggering 96% audience score on the site. Therefore, with widespread praise from fans, and even creators Kevin and Dan Hageman’s interest in continuing the series, there could be hope for season 3 in the future.
Star Trek: Prodigy S1 and S2 are both available to stream on Netflix.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire