Syfy Cuts Down Fan-Favorite Show’s New Season, Cancellation Next?
Syfy has cut down the next season of Resident Alien from 12 episodes to 8.
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Deadline has reported that Syfy’s original series Resident Alien is getting a shorter run of episodes for Season 3. Although the third season originally had a 12-episode order, the network made the call to cut back to eight episodes instead. With the episode cutback, fans are wondering if cancellation after Season 3 will be the next step.
Syfy’s Resident Alien got the order for the third season before the second half of Season 2 premiered in August. The second season consisted of 16 episodes, split into two parts of eight episodes each with a brief hiatus in the middle. By all accounts, the order for a third season made sense leading into the second batch of episodes, considering the first batch was the top 5 most-watched cable dramas of the year, pulling in an average of 2.3 million viewers.
However, the ratings took a nosedive in the second batch of Season 2 episodes. With this in mind, it’s not too surprising that Syfy made the call to reduce the number of episodes for Season 3. It seems like Resident Alien will have to bring back the viewers in full force in the third season if there’s any hope of a Season 4.
Syfy’s Resident Alien is based on the Dark Horse comic of the same name and features Alan Tudyk as a crash-landed alien who takes on a secret identity of a human doctor in a small Colorado town. His mission is to kill all humans but he gradually starts to grapple with the morality of his Earth agenda. The series also stars Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Judah Prehn, and Elizabeth Bowen.
If Syfy decides not to move forward with more Resident Alien in the future, they’ll be getting rid of one of their few scripted shows that run solely on the network. As of now, the only scripted series that Syfy exclusively airs are Reginald the Vampire which is currently airing its first season, and Day of the Dead, which premiered its first season in 2021 and has yet to be renewed for a second season. It’s possible the network could keep Resident Alien around just to keep up audience interest in their scripted programming.
Of course, Syfy is also gearing up to premiere their new scripted series The Ark in 2023, which is quite the tonal departure from Resident Alien. The co-showrunners on The Ark are Dean Devlin (Stargate, Independence Day) and Jonathan Glassner (Stargate SG-1), so it could be the next big hit for the network. The Ark takes place 100 years in the future as the crew of the Ark One have to find a replacement for Earth after their ship takes heavy casualties on its star-faring mission.
If you’re a fan of Syfy’s Resident Alien, you can take solace in the fact that you’ll get at least one more season of the series. Although it’s a truncated season, the showrunners may be able to end things in a satisfactory way if they know the end of the series is near. Regardless, you’ll want to tune in when the show returns if there’s to be any hope of a fourth season.
