Canceling it is one thing. Pulling the show down from the service is absolutely abhorrent behavior.
Fully agree. There is absolutely no reason to do so!
To avoid paying royalties, I imagine. Hollywood accounting is craaaaazy.
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Sort of - the mystery of what happened to Chakotay is unresolved, but the crew got a more-or-less happy ending. From how it’s being reported, season 2 is all but complete and they just need to find a new network or service to show it - I’d wager Prime Video might be a possible home for it as they’ve historically had distibution rights for the various other modern Trek shows internationally.
This gives some hope at least. This show is better than it had any right to be and deserves a proper ending.
@Coliver Well crud, I thought it was doing pretty well and that they had said it was renewed.
Wasn’t exactly my favorite in season 1. Was kinda excited to see where season 2 went but I’m not really too upset.
What I’m hoping this does is clear the way for a Legacy spinoff Matalas teased with the Picard finale
That didn’t work for the fans who cheered when TAS got canceled in the early 70s.
Hoping the cancellation of one Trek show will get you the one you personally want is never great thing for the health of the franchise.
Nah. Right now they need to cull the weak shows so the strong can survive. Not saying it’s great what they’re doing, but Prodigy and Discovery are definitely the weak shows of the current gen. Focus the franchise on what works, and allow room for good ideas to flourish instead of strangling them in the cradle because a lesser show is hogging resources.
Paramount is in a tough spot financially and if they need to cancel the underperformers so good Trek can survive, I’m ok.
Also, just saying, if TAS wasn’t cancelled we might not have gotten TNG. Not sure your example is working in your favor.
The same reasoning with TAS also applies to Phase II and we might not have got TNG had Paramount not decided to turn it into TMP.
Just goes to show tv development is a strange base. One failure leads to another’s success
There was more than a decade between TAS’ cancellation and TNG.
With the planned Phase II series that’s a follow-on to TOS and TAS becoming TMP.
Fair enough but canceling TAS didn’t advance Phase II, mimeoed fanzine claims notwithstanding.
And there was more than a decade between Enterprise and Discovery. Not quite sure your point, but these things are how a series evolves.
Not to mention, the star trek franchise is in an entirely different state now that it was in either of those periods. Comparing this to either of those is really like comparing fresh apples to replicated ration packs
Nah. Right now they need to cull the weak shows so the strong can survive.
This is not how things get made. If Trek shows are not finding the audience they need to justify how costly they are to make, than they’re simply going to stop producing new Trek shows until some years down the road when a new producer with enough clout wants to revive a familiar property.
Prodigy and Discovery are definitely the weak shows of the current gen.
Without the initial popularity of Disco, we wouldn’t have gotten any new Trek past season one.
And let’s be honest about it, without the weight of nostalgia for TNG tipping the scale in its favour, “Star Trek: Legacy” is likely not going to do gangbusters. Lest we forget that Terry Matalas was also in charge of season two of PIC. No one is ever going to be able to convince me that they’re really excited about the ongoing adventures of the
TitanEnterprise G and ensign Terry Sue.This is not how things get made. If Trek shows are not finding the audience they need to justify how costly they are to make, than they’re simply going to stop producing new Trek shows until some years down the road when a new producer with enough clout wants to revive a familiar property.
You do realize that different shows in the franchise are currently trying to fill different niches and appeal to different audiences, right? Prodigy is far from appealing to the traditional trekkie. It’s primarily targeted to young adults and children via Nickelodeon branding. The characters were largely insufferable at the beginning. Yes to show character growth, but this likely also turned people off
Just because one niche show in the franchise wasn’t super successful or was too expensive to make does not mean the current generation of development is doomed.
This writers strike has caused production calculus to change. That’s likely what started talks at Paramount leading to the current decision amplified by their current financial status.
And just because you didn’t like the ending PIC doesn’t meant it wasn’t immensely enjoyed by others. I would love to see the next next generation on the enterprise G with all the cheese it might entail. I absolutely would eat that series up! Don’t worry, I don’t need you to be convinced for me to enjoy it 😊
You do realize that different shows in the franchise are currently trying to fill different niches and appeal to different audiences, right?
You assume some executive at Paramount cares about that? Star Trek is a brand, and how well it performs as a whole is what’s important with regards to new Trek getting greenlit.
Prodigy is far from appealing to the traditional trekkie.
According to whom?
Just because one niche show in the franchise wasn’t super successful or was too expensive to make does not mean the current generation of development is doomed.
Animation costs significantly less per episode than a high concept live action science fiction series like Disco or PIC. In addition, according to impression analytics, PRO was fairly well received, including being in the Top 10 of new shows when its second group of episodes began airing. This despite the fact that its scattershot release schedule likely meant it had difficulty catching on with the intended demographic.
And just because you didn’t like the ending PIC doesn’t meant it wasn’t immensely enjoyed by others.
That’s very true.
You do realize the same thing applies to yourself and your appreciation of PRO, right?
Wow you are tiresome. I guess this shows Lemmy can be a good reddit alternative though with some internet troll scolding others for not liking trek for the same exact reasons as them. Geeze, let’s start from the top.
You assume some executive at Paramount cares about that? Star Trek is a brand, and how well it performs as a whole is what’s important with regards to new Trek getting greenlit.
Yes. Star trek is one of the highest grossing media franchises in the history of the world being more profitable than the likes of Spiderman, Jurassic Park, and Mario. I know media executives aren’t the smartest people in the world, but I’d say that’s a fairly healthy franchise and is a cash cow if they appeal to the right audience. No exec is going to think like you and be dumb enough to not continue development on the franchise because some niche show targets at kids didint appeal to all Trekkies and even those who generally did liked it acknowledged there’s some very big demographic targeting flaws that would keep many fans from the show
According to whom?
See my last two links. Also me and tons of others. It’s a very common theme that Prodigy is for kids and that turned of many of the traditional adult fans myself included. Animation isn’t the traditional style for star trek, but it can work so long as it’s appealing to adults/all ages instead of being specifically targeted towards kids. Why Lower Decks has been so successful when TAS and Prodigy were not.
Animation costs significantly less per episode than a high concept live action science fiction series like Disco or PIC.
I wasn’t aware you were a producer well versed in the various pros and cons of live action vs animation. You should know then that is not necessary the case as animation takes way longer and can quickly balloon in cost not to mention the incredibly talentent Kate Mulgrew ain’t cheap. Plain and simple, we don’t know the exact production cost but it very easily.
PRO was fairly well received, including being in the Top 10 of new shows when its second group of episodes began airing. This despite the fact that its scattershot release schedule likely meant it had difficulty catching on with the intended demographic.
Keyword second group of airing. Yes it didn’t have the greatest release schedule, but even if it was more of traditional release it wouldn’t have mattered. Kids these days aren’t exactly know for their adhesion to traditional television release cycles. It really shouldn’t matter when something is airing. Plenty of shows manage the 1/2 season release cycle and still find their audience. To be fair most of those shows don’t have as abysmal of a first half of a first season as Prodigy did. You even acknowledge right here that it has its own intended demographic different from the traditional trekkie.
Just a personal tangent: I get the character development thy were trying to go with by making the first half of the season the way they did, however that storytelling and exposition could have easily been dolled out in in other ways with these kids starting already in starfleet. Or having a starfleet character get trapped in the camp from the beginning with them. It’s not obvious AT ALL from the first half of that season that this is a Star Trek show.
You do realize the same thing applies to yourself and your appreciation of PRO, right?
Absolutely. I never said I hated the show or thought people couldn’t like it ahem. If you read my first comment you would have noticed that while i wasn’t the biggest fan of the first season, i was looking forward to the second and only with the news of the cancellation am i preliminary hopeful this means that Paramount is looking to bring in stronger hitting shows and getting rid of the ones that don’t fit the franchise. I’m not surprised a show aimed at kids with insufferable characters with no initial affiliation to starfleet is a prime target for cancellation, especially with the ongoing writers strike. Not sure if you’re old enough to remember the last strike, but lots of great shows ended up getting cancelled just as collateral damage.
Was i cheering for it’s cancellation, no. Was i surprised by it, also no. Am I excited for the future of the franchise? You bet.
Thanks for coming to my Ted talk
Wow you are tiresome.
Glass houses, Champ.
I guess this shows Lemmy can be a good reddit alternative though with some internet troll scolding others for not liking trek for the same exact reasons as them.
It is not trolling to point out the realities of the entertainment industry. And I’m not scolding anyone. I know people who very much enjoyed season three of PIC, and more power to them. I wish I liked it. However, I will be staggered if “Legacy” happens and the majority of people whose opinions flipped once we got back to the adventures of the TNG crew won’t flip again as soon as those characters are no longer a part of the show. Again, not trolling or scolding, simply a prediction.
Yes. Star trek is one of the highest grossing media franchises in the history of the world being more profitable than the likes of Spiderman, Jurassic Park, and Mario. I know media executives aren’t the smartest people in the world, but I’d say that’s a fairly healthy franchise and is a cash cow if they appeal to the right audience.
And yet somehow it keeps going for long stretches without any new Trek.
See my last two links. It’s a very common theme that Prodigy is for kids and that turned of many of the traditional adult fans myself included.
Your two links to some small websites where those particular reviewers didn’t enjoy the series, one of which based solely on the first two episodes? I could also cherry pick reviews.
Look, I don’t know who the “traditional” Star Trek fan is. I know that my old ass has been watching TOS reruns since before TNG was ever announced but I am not going to assume I am the archetypical fan, or assign all Trekkies my personal tastes. Not everyone can share my appreciation for great episodes like “The Way to Eden” and “Sub Rosa” and that’s okay; I’m just built different.
But I was a kid when I was watching TOS. I was still a kid when I was watching TNG. And when I was watching TNG as a child, I had all sorts of toys and action figures, as do several of my friends. The idea that the “traditional” Trekkie demographic does not include children is wild.
I don’t follow the TV biz closely. What exactly does this mean? Is it no more Prodigy for sure, or is it being shopped around for someone to maybe continue it?
In many cases like this they end up selling rights to one of the growing ad-supported streaming services, which means I personally will never watch. I had just started watching Prodigy in the gap between Picard and SNW. I think companies are being shortsighted in cutting back their catalogs in this way since it encourages people like me to cancel subscriptions between the initial broadcast of new seasons of the more popular series rather than stick around for something of perhaps secondary interest.
Maybe it’s to sell it to a streamer more kid-friendly than Paramount+? I may be too naïve.
The only streamer that’s more kid-friendly is Disney+. Netflix is trying hard to boost its original kids content through.
It also means that after a while people figure out the pattern of “new show, cancelled, new show, cancelled, repeat” and stop caring about originals. Like Netflix.
Oh man. I never got around to watching it!
It’s really good.
Usenet and Yorrentst 😎
You should watch it before it’s pulled. Only the first 10 episodes are available on physical media.
At 20 x 22 minutes, it’s not a lot of time, but we’ll worth it.
I saw the trailer and figured it was a kids show and never watched.
It’s actually a decent Trek show, and had Kate Mulgrew as Janeway for bonus points. Way better Trek than Discovery and Picard, at least.
Including Picard season 3? 1+2 and 3 are so different that I think it’s almost unfair to even lump them together.
(On IMDb, the worst-rated episodes of S3 are about tied with the best of S1+2.)meh, I don’t trust IMDb ratings on trek, a certain section of angry star trek “fans” seem like they review bomb star trek shows pretty hard
It is a kids’ show, but surprisingly deep and thoughtful for one. Characters are well realized and the plotting is tight. Plus it’s absolutely gorgeous to look at.
I’m exposed to a lot of kids’ media by virtue of, you know, having kids, and this show is top shelf. And my young kids actually liked it and would sit down to watch it, which is something they wouldn’t do with other Trek.
It absolutely is a kid’s show but once you get past the first few episodes and ESPECIALLY the second half of the season, it’s utterly Star Trek and pulls off a better season arc than any of the other modern Treks. ^Plus Janeway jokes about turning into a salamander.^
The last few episodes are especially classic Trek.
It is targeted at kids, that’s why I never checked it out either.
It’s aimed at kids but is still a great Trek show.
I’m very surprised. I thought Prodigy had a strong following. What a strange situation, quickly pulling season one. But I don’t understand the ins and outs of streaming contracts.
Possibly that Paramount+ simply doesn’t have the kids’ content to support viewership for a single show. Sure, it pulls in Trek fans, but probably isn’t grabbing the 4-12 demographic it’s aimed at or whatever.
Was it that poorly received? I thought it was great for a kid show.
It was a great kid’s show AND great star trek.
It was well received.there is no good reason for doing this.
Exactly, Prodigy was a surprise gem and is at the bottom of the list of current Star Trek shows that should’ve been canceled.
- Discovery is an awful, manic, canon-wrecking mess and needs to go.
- Strange New Worlds inherits most of that awfulness, is incredibly overrated, and also needs to go.
- Picard was shaky but the final season finally delivered, thank the gods.
- Lower Decks is well-written, nuanced, a good citizen of canon, and just wonderful.
- Prodigy is well-written, nuanced, a good citizen of canon, and just wonderful.
But the popular narrative is all over the place. People hate Discovery but love Strange New Worlds despite them being almost identical. People love Lower Decks and are tepid about Prodigy despite them having a very similar tone.
At least most people seem to agree on Picard now.
Had a kid that loved it and he generally refuses to watch any trek show. Cutting off that audience is going to cost them in the long run but I don’t think the owners of the IP have a long term vision
Confirmed by Deadline, with some added details:
The new season will complete post-production, and the studio will be looking for a new home for Star Trek: Prodigy as season one comes off the service shortly.
The company said that “continues to be invested in growing the Star Trek franchise” with series including Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, movie event Star Trek: Section 31, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, which returned for its second season June 15 and has been renewed for a third season, animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, which will return for its fourth season later this year and has also been renewed for a fifth season, the upcoming final season of Star Trek: Discovery as well as Star Trek: Picard.
Update from series writer Aaron J. Waltke:
Obviously, there is not much I can say. Everyone on the cast and crew loves #StarTrekProdigy deeply.
I have noticed some misleading headlines, so all I can do is point to this particular part of the press release.
We are completing season two on schedule and seeking a new home!
Variety’s report contains this:
According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, although the show had aired on Nickelodeon in addition to Paramount+, it will not be returning to Nickelodeon either. Those on the show will complete post-production on Season 2 and then CBS Studios will be free to shop it to other outlets.
For goodness sake. Paramount+ just gained “The spot for all Star Trek films and series” earlier this month. Now, they have to put an asterisk on that statement, “*except Prodigy.”
@Nmyownworld @ValueSubtracted What I struggle to understand is how they don’t immediately see how this will only undermine subscriber confidence
It’s the hot new trend - Warner and Disney have each done the same thing.
I mean, kind of, Disney hasn’t burnt any Marvel if Stat Wars shows.
They’ve pulled a lot of other stuff, including Marvel’s Runaways, which you may or may not count as a “Marvel show”.
Point taken, but I don’t feel like a long dead show that was dropped from canon almost as soon as it aired is the equivalent of a currently in production canon Trek show.
Disney did pull a few things Marvel, but they weren’t prime MCU. They were all documentaries, time-sensitive hype pieces, or shows of dubious canonicity to the MCU.
So depressing.
Especially when Paramount+ has very little in the animated originals category.
More, Paramount has been trying to cover all of the demographics with their consolidated streamer. Compared to most of the others, excepting Disney, they have a decent amount of kids’ content and viewership. So, how shortsighted do they have to be to cut off their one major franchise offering for that demographic?
ugh, this destroys a lot of the appeal of Paramount+ for me. the only reason i have a subscription is that it’s the one-stop-shop for all things star trek, but i guess not anymore.
They’re also really boosting the appeal of piracy (not that i would ever recommend somebody reading this post commit piracy) because that’s the only way to reliably enjoy the things you would otherwise be paying to rent.
I’m bummed. I found the first few episodes of Prodigy rocky but it wound up being a solid first season in a franchise where a rocky first season is the norm.
I don’t have kids but if I ever did I could see myself wanting to watch Prodigy with them. I hope another studio picks it back up.
Itunes has all of S1 for 9.99 today. I’m buying in support of the show.
And shit like this is why I’m a data hoarder lol
The back half of Prodigy season one hasn’t even been released to DVD, just the first 10 episodes.
Yep. I used to think that I didn’t need to download and back up stuff because “I just need to pop on over to Youtube or something and it’ll be there!” only to find out the hard way that people delist and take down stuff from places all the time, including major corporations.
I wish I’d downloaded and backed up some of my favorite stuff back in the day. Whether it’s videos, music, games… it’s surprising how much crap gets taken down. I never thought that people who insisted on having physical copies were weird (unlike some others) but now I realize even more nowadays that they were right. Especially if they use those physical copies to make their own digital backups.
This is the first I’ve heard about Star Trek Prodigy
The promotion hasn’t been what it could and the merchandising came very, very late.
This is incredibly disappointing. I look just as much forward to seeing this on Thursdays as I do other Treks. What a loss.
