The Terra Nova TV show has been officially cancelled by the FOX network. However, though you won’t see dinosaurs back on the FOX schedule next season, there’s still hope for a second season.
For those who came in late, Terra Nova’s produced by Steven Spielberg and revolves around a time when our planet has become over-developed and overcrowded. Mankind’s only chance for survival is to make use of a newly discovered fracture in time and try to colonize pre-historic Earth. The cast includes Jason O’Mara, Shelley Conn, Landon Liboiron, Allison Miller, Naomi Scott, Alana Mansour, Stephen Lang, Rod Hallett, and Christine Adams.
Terra Nova premiered last September with a pair of installments which attracted an average of a 3.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic and 9.22 million total viewers. It was third in its timeslots but held viewers through the two hours. The third episode drew about the same as the first two episodes. Episode four fell by 19% in the demo and later episodes hit a low of a 2.1 rating in the demo three times.
The season averaged a 2.5 rating in the demo and 7.52 million viewers. Those aren’t bad numbers but also aren’t good enough to ensure a pick up — especially considering that Terra Nova is expensive to produce. FOX entertainment president Kevin Reilly once noted that the network was committed to purchasing 22 installments if the show was renewed.
FOX initially had a December 31st deadline to make a decision on renewing Terra Nova but bought themselves some extra time by picking up the options on many of the actors’ contracts.
Reilly had concerns about the creative direction of the show so Terra Nova producers and 20th Century Fox Television began approaching showrunners and senior writers about possibly joining the series for next season. Reilly was reportedly pitched several potential scenarios and writers but he didn’t take to any of them. A last ditch meeting on Friday supposedly went well but Reilly ultimately decided late yesterday to cancel the show.
The decision comes as somewhat of a surprise since the network and studio both made money on the show and has Spielberg’s name attached. Word is that studio 20th Century TV will now shop the series to other potential outlets. The mediocre ratings and hefty price tag — reportedly about $4 million per episode — won’t make it an easy sell. The talent options supposedly expire at the end of June, keeping those castmembers from being in contention for potential new series.
What do you think? Are you disappointed that FOX has cancelled Terra Nova? Are you surprised?
Image courtesy FOX.
This was a really good show that everyone in the family could watch. Good actors and action aplenty. Hate to see this one, The Good Guys, and Chaos go. Clean fun and not teeny bopperish has a rough time making it.
I’m sooooo disappointed that I just get into a new series and right in the middle of truely enjoying it, it’s cancelled. That drives me NUTS. I agree with an earlier comment: How do you expect loyal to your network/shows if you’re NOT loyal to us?
I can’t believe they cancelled this show!! Argh! This was my FAVORITE show and was one of only about 3 shows that I looked forward to each week (one other being Alcatraz that appears to be on the chopping block too now). I liked this show because it was so creative and brought something to television that had been missing. Instead of all of the stupid so-called reality shows, this was an original show that a viewer could escape with. I liked the family survival theme — like a modern day Robinson Crusoe. I’m very disappointed with FOX.
My family loves the show and consider it one of the best family dramas on any network…Fox needs to revisit this idea and promote the show for the second season and place it behind one of their anchors to introduce it to a broader audience…comeon Fox think outside the box…make a new box…and bring back a show that has wonderful potential…even without the dinosaurs the show is about the people and human interest storyline…the message is powerful and needs to be developed…drop the dino’s and increase the action scenes and drama…problem solved…I am available for creative input!! LETS BUILD ON… Read more »
NO WAY!!! Terra Nova is a great show and my family and I watch it religiously!! Please don’t cancel it and disappoint the millions of fans out there all over the world that watch it.
I’ll be watching any future FOX new shows from the sidelines / reviews. Not going to waste my time anymore getting attached to a series / characters that FOX then pulls the plug on. Already bad enough networks have trimmed everything back to 10-13 episode seasons. How can they expect committment from their viewers when they themselves cannot commit to a series?
I am very mad that this show was canceled! I really liked it.
I know many families that enjoyed the show and would be dissapointed if it was cancelled it was the best show I’ve ever seen and millions would be dissapointed if it was cancelled.
Bonjour, nous voulons tous une saison 2. Il ne faut pas laisser la fin comme ça. J’attends avec impatience la suite. Je suis FAn !!!!!
this sucks the best show of its kind in a long time , and the sales from maketing could have been great even the kids loved the show we will miss it greatly. i dont think you guys used your brains when thinking about the marketing to adults and kid to bad for you and us. got to spend it to make it
Loved the show! Not only were the effects awesome, but so was the writing, casting, and message. And it both was family-friendly in content and promoted the family as a thing of immense value… in a day when most TV and film denigrates and marginalizes the role of the family in society. Please bring this back!
Thank you in advance for any and all efforts rendered for this show’s preservation.
Then news of canceling Terra Nova comes as very disappointing news to me, my girlfriend, and her children, as we all watch it together. This show was great on many levels. It was both entertaining and educational. It showed values, such as comradery, loyalty, friendship, and family bonding. It was a thousand times better than most of the garbage on TV, and the children were able to relate to it. Fox needs to find a way to continue the series, or join forces with another network to make the continuance of Terra Nova possible.
I hope it makes it back. Better than most of the regular mindless stuff on!
i really like the show, i hope i make it back on air
It seems to me that when a show goes viral like the reality shows did at first, the networks all go out of their way to make us endure them! Then when we have had enough and quit watching their lame shows they try to come up with a new approach to the same old lame show. I have gotten intrested in a few shows that I thought would be on for a while only to find out that they cancel without giving us notification. What would happen if as a base group we stopped watching the networks that did… Read more »