dark matter

The Syfy network has long been the home of a wide variety of unique shows and fairly original sci-fi series.  As is the case in business, however, some shows make it further than others, and some series get the axe sooner than their creators intended or hoped for.

Following the recent announcement that ‘Killjoys’ was being cancelled after 2 more seasons, the network has also decided to end the run of ‘Dark Matter’ as well.  Series creator Joseph Mallozzi has stated that he has a “five-year plan” for the show, but it appears that those plans have now been altered, with Syfy choosing not to renew the series after its third (and now, final) season.

Mallozzi has some thoughts on the real reasons behind the cancellation, and he wasn’t shy about stating those reasons, in a fairly respectful manner, on his blog over the weekend:

“Working against us was the fact that we weren’t a SYFY original. We were an acquisition. For those not in the know, an original is a series that is developed by the network and, more importantly, owned by the network, allowing them to monetize the show through things like international sales, streaming, etc. The network pays a lot more but presumably reaps the benefits down the line.”

Mallozzi, for his part, did what he could to try and keep the dream alive to at least have the series end in some other fashion other than the already-shot season three cliffhanger:

“When we found out we were on the bubble, I offered to fly down to SYFY’s L.A. offices and take them through what we had planned for season 4: ‘Androids! Aliens! Dr. Shaw! Sarah! Kyrden! Wexler! TWO’s daughter! FIVE’s sister!’ They thanked me but informed me that the decision would not be based on the show’s creative [aspects], so there was no point in going down to pitch.

“…I figured as a final alternative, I could try my damnedest and offer fans some degree of closure by pitching SYFY a 6-episode miniseries to wrap it up. This, unfortunately, was not an option either.”

So seemingly ends the saga of ‘Dark Matter’ on TV – unless another network or a streaming service decides to step in and “save” the show.  Mellozzi has already worked on a ‘Dark Matter’ comic book series with Dark Horse Comics, so the possibility certainly exists in other story-telling arenas for him to finish telling his tale.