Freeform has pulled the plug on its Marvel Comics-inspired series ‘Cloak & Dagger’ after two seasons. The show received positive reviews, but its viewership shrank by 40% in its second season, which aired earlier this year. The fate of ‘Cloak& Dagger’ has been up in the air for five months, but reportedly the options on the cast ran out this week, just prior to this announcement. The show’s stars, Olivia Holt (Tandy Bowen/Dagger) and Aubrey Joseph (Tyrone Johnson/Cloak) are set to guest-star in episodes of the upcoming season of Hulu’s ‘Runaways’. Presumably, this crossover was concocted to drum up interest in ‘Cloak & Dagger’, but now it looks as though that will be Holt and Joseph’s goodbye performance.
A statement from Freeform read:
“We are so proud of Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger and the trailblazing stories this series told. We are also grateful to our incredible talent Oliva Holt and Aubrey Joseph for bringing these beloved characters to life, and showrunner Joe Pokaski for his vision. We’d like to thank our partners at Marvel Television for a wonderful two seasons and are we are hopeful that we can find another project together.”
This cancellation follows that of Freeform’s ‘Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists’, which reportedly scored ratings on par with ‘Cloak & Dagger’s and was axed after only one season.
RELATED: ‘Runaways’ Will Have A ‘Cloak & Dagger’ Crossover In Season 3
This cancellation also comes on the heels of Kevin Feige‘s placement as Marvel’s Chief Creative Officer, over comics, television and film, and the news that Marvel Television’s head, Jeph Loeb was leaving the company as a result, after almost ten years in the position. That may ultimately not be the reason why ‘Cloak & Dagger’ was canceled, but it’s also not surprising, as this show, along with ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ and ‘Runaways’ represent the old guard, and it is expected that the entire Marvel TV slate will be overhauled to match the content and quality of the hit films.
Will fans rally and try to get ‘Cloak & Dagger’ rescued, possibly by Hulu? They can try, but I can already tell you, with these behind-the-scenes shakeups, it doesn’t stand a chance. If Freeform hadn’t cancelled it, Marvel would have done so itself.
Are you sad to see ‘Cloak & Dagger’ go?
Source: Deadline
