Netflix saves popular TV series after shock cancellation by rival streamer – and it’s just months away
NETFLIX has rescued the popular animated series Star Trek: Prodigy after it was cancelled by Paramount+.
The show’s first season aired on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon in 2021. It was soon renewed for a second season before the streamer did a U-turn, cancelling future episodes of the show and removing the existing season from the platform in June 2023.
Now, Netflix has stepped in to save the animated series and it will appear on the platform later this year.
Excited about the move, co-creators Kevin and Dan Hageman, and Alex Kurtzman put out a joint statement on X, formerly Twitter, thanking fans for their support.
It read: “Thank you to our incredible ‘Star Trek: Prodigy’ fans, who championed not just a show but a community that’s always been connected by the belief that we build a better future together.
“We set out to inspire you, but you inspired us. The team is still hard at work on the second season, and we can’t wait to share it with the amazing fans around the world.”
They confirmed the first season of Prodigy will premiere on the streamer later in 2023, with new episodes coming in 2024.
Per its official synopsis, the fan-favourite series follows “a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search of a better future.
“These six young outcasts know nothing about the ship they have commandeered – a first in the history of the Star Trek franchise – but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents.”
The series, which is a fun introduction to the Star Trek universe for younger viewers, stars Brett Gray, Ella Purnell, Rylee Alazraqui, Angus Imrie, Jason Mantzoukas, and Dee Bradley Bakeras the six young adventurers, Dal, Gwyn, Rok-Tahk, Zero, Jankom Pog, and Murf, respectively.
They are joined by Kate Mulgrew as Hologram Kathryn Janeway, John Noble as The Diviner, and Jimmi Simpson as Drednok, while MCU star Jameela Jamil recurs as Ensign Asencia.
The decision from Paramount+ to cancel Prodigy comes after the streaming service announced Star Trek: Discovery would be ending with its upcoming fifth season. Meanwhile, Star Trek: Picard concluded with its third season earlier this year.
However, other Star Trek vehicles like Strange New Worlds and Lower Decks have been renewed by the streamer.
Star Trek: Prodigy is coming to Netflix in 2023.