FX Just Cancelled One Of Its Biggest Shows
FX just canceled one of its biggest shows, a series that had received a fair amount of hype and a solid critical response this season
This article is more than 2 years old
In a somewhat surprising move this week, FX canceled one of its bigger and more well-received shows opting to not renew it for a second season. Considering the amount of hype this had coming in, it was something of a shocker to learn the Y: The Last Man had been canceled and would end its run after just ten episodes. FX and the show’s creator both rang in on the decision which is sure to leave some fans more than a little upset.
Eliza Clark, the executive producer, creator, and showrunner for Y: The Last Man took to Twitter late on Sunday to deliver the bad news. She was complimentary of the network for working to bring the show to production from the outset, though there was clearly disappointment here. And likely a fair amount of surprise. Here’s what she said about the FX decision to cancel the series with a glimmer of hope for what could come next.
FX debuted Y: The Last Man back on September 13th, dropping the first three episodes all at once. Based on the comic book of the same name, the series follows a cataclysmic event across the globe that sees everything with a Y chromosome die all at once. In one disastrous genetic swoop, every male (humans and animals alike) in the world dies, save for one man, Yorick. FX had begun developing the series all the way backing 2015 though, in a sign that trouble might have always been brewing on the development front, the show went through a couple of different scripts and showrunners.
That being said, once FX and Clark finally got the show to the screen, the reception was more than positive. Exploring a world in which the females are wrestling with issues as large scale as societal collapse and as “small” as the relationships formed in a post-male timeline, the reviews were more than positive. The show’s first season is sitting at 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, though the audience score is a bit lower at 68%.
While the ratings for Y: The Last Man haven’t been published yet, one can assume that is the driving factor behind the FX decision. As with any program these days, most of the decisions around renewal or cancellation can be traced back to those rather simple numbers. But Eliza Clark did express some optimism about this not being the final word for Y: The Last Man when it was all said and done. In the world of seemingly endless streaming options, there is some chance the show is picked up somewhere else. While rare, it has happened before.
As of this writing, FX still planned to air the final three episodes of Y: The Last Man which will wrap its run on the network on November 1st. It will be interesting to see if this is picked up somewhere else or if it is the end of the line. Judging by some early online reactions, the feeling was a bit mixed on whether it was worthy of being picked up somewhere else. Time will tell on that front.
