Sci-Fi Storm

We thought that is was in the “more likely than not camp, and we were right – ABC has renewed Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for another season. ABC had previously told producer Jed Whedon to write a “season finale”, not a series finale, so odds were pretty good.

The current season of S.H.I.E.L.D. is reaching its conclusion of the “Agents of Hydra” storyline, where some of the team were entrapped in a virtual reality called the Framework where Hydra was in control and the agents all lead very different lives. The season has been averaging about 4.3 million viewers.

In a bit of a surprise announcement, SpikeTV announced today that they will be taking on the second season of The Shannara Chronicles which will air this Fall.

The first season of the original scripted drama, based on the best-selling fantasy book series by Terry Brooks, debuted on MTV in 2016.

Filmed on location in New Zealand, the new season will consist of 10 one-hour episodes. Details of the premiere date and time for season two will be announced in the coming weeks.

Spike will introduce its viewers to the critically-acclaimed series this summer as it will encore season one beginning on Thursday, June 29 at 11:00pm ET/PT, directly following the Spike original series, The Mist.

The Shannara Chronicles stars Austin Butler (Wil), Ivana Baquero (Eretria), Manu Bennett (Allanon), Aaron Jakubenko (Ander) and Marcus Vanco (Bandon) along with new cast members Vanessa Morgan (Lyria), Malese Jow (Mareth), Gentry White (Garet), Caroline Chikezie (Queen Tamlin), and Desmond Chiam (General Riga).

Season two takes place one year after the events of last season. The Four Lands are in chaos. The re-emergence of magic has the populace terrified, and an organization called The Crimson is hunting down magic users, using fear and intimidation to sow discord among the races. Wil, scarred by the loss of Amberle and his separation from Eretria, has turned his back on his magical destiny to become a healer. But when a mysterious woman named Mareth saves Wil from a Crimson attack, he is forced to rejoin the fight.

The Shannara Chronicles is created by Al Gough and Miles Millar based on the Shannara series of books written by Terry Brooks. The series is executive produced by Gough & Millar, Brooks, Jon Favreau, Jonathan Liebesman, and Dan Farah. The series is produced and distributed worldwide by Sonar Entertainment in association with Millar/Gough Ink and Farah Films.

In less surprising news, Starz has renewed American Gods for a second season after just two episodes. The show, based on the novel of the same name by author Neil Gaiman, follows Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle, The 100) after he is released from prison and recruited by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) into what appears to be a supernatural war between the gods of the Old World, brought to America by the immigrants, and the “new” gods, led by Technical Boy (Bruce Langley, Deadly Waters) and Media (Gillian Anderson, The X-Files – who appears in the form of Lucille Ball/Lucy Ricardo). The show is produced by FremantleMedia North America, with Bryan Fuller and Michael Green serving as executive producers/showrunners and also writing for the show.

Update: NBC has reversed their decision…

Original:

NBC has decided not to renew freshman history-bending show Timeless, despite some hope that it might renew the show when it ordered additional episodes in the Fall.

Co-creator Eric Kripke confirmed the news on Twitter, but gave a little hope that it might get picked up elsewhere: “Its true. NBC canceled #Timeless. We’re surprised & upset. Get you a longer response later. Odds are long, but trying to find another home.” Fellow co-creator Shawn Ryan also said that studio Sony is shopping the show around. Odds are indeed very long for that to happen. It’s not unheard of but a rare occurrence, as another network isn’t likely to take on a show that another network couldn’t get to work, at least without major changes, as with Supergirl‘s move to the CW Network.

Timeless was launched in what was considered a prime slot on Mondays following The Voice, but it didn’t seem to garner the same level of audience predecessors did in that position. Viewership was OK on Live+7 but weak on just live viewers, and even early on Kripke mentioned that it was a “bubble show” and likely would have to fight each year for renewal.

With the 25th anniversary of the beginning of what was then the Sci-Fi Channel coming up in September, Syfy is going through a new reboot – but that doesn’t mean you are losing any of your current favorite programs, as the channel recommits itself to genre programming and fandom at large.

“I can think of no better occasion than Syfy’s 25th anniversary to get back to our roots, double down on premium original programming, and put fans at the center of everything we do,” said Chris McCumber, President, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “As the only television network dedicated to the genre 24/7, we’re building the ultimate universe for this passionate community to call home.”

Syfy unveiled a new logo, typeface and look that it will use across all of its divisions, including an expanded news division, starting June 19th. “This is a wholesale change, top to bottom, of the way we express ourselves,” said Alexandra Shapiro, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Digital, Entertainment Networks for NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. “Our new branding is designed for the digital age and tailored to the consumption patterns of our audience, allowing us to celebrate and engage with fans on every consumer touchpoint.”

Additionally, Syfy is scaling and expanding its editorial division Syfy Wire to infuse breaking genre news, in-depth analysis and thought-provoking original content across its entire ecosystem. Through Syfy Wire’s website (http://syfywire.com) and on air via future program development, programming integrations and regular interstitials and lower thirds, Syfy Wire will cover the latest and greatest in genre TV, film, books, comics, gaming and technology. Syfy Wire will also take the lead on this year’s reporting from San Diego Comic Con, once again airing for three nights.

Syfy also announced the pickup to series of two pilots, Superman prequel Krypton and the graphic novel adaptation Happy!.
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