Star Trek: Prodigy will likely not be saved for one very important reason

Star Trek: Prodigy will likely not be saved from cancelation

Star Trek: Prodigy’s cancelation hurt the entire Star Trek fandom. It was among the best shows being produced by Paramount+ and was getting solid engagement figures, with the second half of its first season getting higher metrics than Strange New Worlds. It helped launch Picard’s last season to the figures it got.

It was so well received that it got a toy line revived with Playmates, a video game and an early second season renewal. But all that changed a week ago when Prodigy was cancelled by Paramount+ as an attempt from the big wigs to not only save on money, but recoup losses for their failingg streaming services. They took a tax credit offered to them designed for streaming platforms to make money back on expensive investments.

So because of the money, Prodigy was cancelled, well into the production of the second season. This meant that the show would likely be shopped and in turn, would further net Paramount and its streaming service a nice tidy some of money.

That other service can finish paying for production, and Paramount would get a rights deal of sorts for allowing another platform to air one of its IPs.

There’s just one problem; who’s going to want Star Trek: Prodigy?

I loved Prodigy, I thought it was a great show. There’s just one problem Prodigy faces, it’s a niche show designed for families. It’s not going to get the same engagement of a more young-adult contempary series like Wednesday.

It’s ceiling is limited, and that makes it less attractive. Complicating meassures even further, normally a channel like Nickelodeon would be perfect for it to air, but Paramount now owns that station, making it less likely that Prodigy would end up on the cable channel. Even more unlikely when you realize that Prodigy was supposed to be on Nickelodeon in the first place. That was until the streaming service pulled the show for their own catalogue.

If the lack of obvious homes wasn’t bad enough for such a niche property, people have to remember that the issues Paramount+ is facing is something every streaming serivce is facing. Disney+, Peacock, Max, Netflix and whatever else is out there, have all struggled the same as Paramount+ and taken the same tax credit by cancelling shows that otherwise would’ve gotten a more seasons.

We told you that this would eventually happen, as investors are starting to demand a return on their investment, these streaming services have to start delivering and stop spending, which means shows like Prodigy likely won’t find a new home.

it may, and I hope it does, I just don’t think it’s going to happen.