In addition to freshman series ‘Deadly Class’, Syfy has also axed the two-season detective fantasy ‘Happy!’. The options for the actors of both series would have been up at the end of the month, and it looks as though that Syfy was willing to just cut them loose.
‘Happy!’ was apparently a very popular show with the brass at Syfy, so its cancellation was “a tough decision to make.” But after a solid first season, ratings plummeted for the second, making it “impossible” for Syfy to order a third. Like ‘Deadly Class’, it is believed that ‘Happy!’ will be shopped around to another outlet, and it just so happens that it already has a distribution deal in place with Netflix, so IF anyone else picks it up, it will likely be them. Sources report that the first season did “perform well on the streamer.” In fact, it is reportedly Netflix’s second-best performing “second-window drama” next to ‘You’ which began on the Lifetime cable network, until it was cancelled and Netflix offered to continue it.
‘Happy!’ was based on a graphic novel by Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson. Christopher Meloni starred as a washed-up ex-police officer-turned-hitman Frank Stax, who can see a blue animated unicorn, named Happy, voiced by Patton Oswalt. Patrick Macmanus served as showrunner.
The first season revolved around a department store Santa that secretly kidnapped children, including Nick’s daughter, Hailey, played by Bryce Lorenzo. Happy is her “imaginary friend” who goes to enlist Nick’s help after Hailey is kidnapped.
Syfy has been trigger happy with many of its shows of late. Among other recent cancellations are ‘Nightflyers’, ‘Channel Zero’, ‘Z Nation’, and ‘Killjoys’, which airs its final season this summer. Though not canceled, the series ‘Wynonna Earp’ isn’t in production because its studio, IDW, doesn’t have enough money to make more episodes.
That leaves Syfy’s current lineup consisting of ‘Krypton’, ‘Van Helsing’ and ‘The Magicians’, as well as, technically, ‘Killjoys’. The network has ordered a bunch of new shows: ‘Resident Alien’, ‘(Future) Cult Classic’, ‘Cipher’, a show based on ‘Chucky’/’Child’s Play’, ‘Vagrant Queen’, ‘The Woods’, ‘Night Gallery’, ‘Waywood Children’, ‘The Raven Cycle’ and ‘Death Is My BF’.
What do you think of Syfy’s slate? Which shows are you most unhappy to see go?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
