Amazon cancels two highly rated Prime Video shows despite green-lighting second seasons

The duo were only renewed earlier in 2023

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Amazonhas cancelledThe PeripheralandA League of Their Own– despite having renewed the popular TV shows earlier this year.

The two highly-ratedPrime Videoseries were expected to return for second seasons following their renewals in Q1 2023. However, on August 18Varietyreported thatThe Peripheralwas being canned after a single season. That announcement came six months after Amazon greenlit another season of the mind-bending sci-fi TV show.

An hour after news aboutThe Peripheral’s cancellation broke,Varietyalso revealed thatA League of Their Ownwas being shelved after one season. The sports-based comedy-drama was only renewed for a second (and final) season in April.

Amazonhasn’t commented on the cancellations, but Variety’s sources claim that the decisions have been prompted by the ongoing actors and writers strikes. According to individuals close to each production, the industrial action, which has brought Hollywood to a standstill, means the pair’s next seasons wouldn’t be released until 2025 at the earliest. That, in Amazon’s eyes, isn’t good enough, hence the company’s decision to walk back on their renewals.

In the wake ofA League of Their Own’s cancellation, showrunner-lead actor Abbi Jacobson slammed Amazon for consigning the series to the scrap heap, adding that its decision was “cowardly”, among more hard-hitting language.The Peripheral’s cast and crew are yet to comment on their series being cancelled.

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Based on William Gibson’s beloved novel of the same name,The Peripheralstarred Chloë Grace Moretz as Flynne Fisher, a virtual reality (VR) gamer who stumbles upon a neo-futuristic alternate reality (in a VR headset, no less) that warns of a dark future for humanity.

Meanwhile, Jacobson’sA League of Their Ownadapted the classic 1992 movie of the same name. Introducing new characters and storylines, it focused on the formation of the first professional all-female baseball team against the backdrop of World War II.

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TechRadar has reached out to Amazon Studios for an official comment on the cancellations, and we’ll update this article if we hear back.

Hitting home runs – but consigned to the periphery anyway

The PeripheralandA League of Their Own’s cancellations are the latest in a long line of top-tier Prime Video shows that have bitten the dust.

Paper Girls,The Wilds,Three Pines,Night Sky, andAs We See Itare just five fantastic TV series that have met their demise at Amazon’s hands in the last year. Now, fans ofThe PeripheralandA League of Their Ownare lamenting the end of two other great shows on one of the world’sbest streaming services.

The latter pair’s cancellations hurt more than usual, too, given the acclaim they were met with by fans and critics alike. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes,The Peripheral’s79% critics and 86% audience scoresprove it was well liked. In ourreview ofThe Peripheral, we said it “will delight sci-fi lovers”, though its complex narrative meant Gibson’s famed novel didn’t always translate well onto the small screen.

A League of Their Ownenjoyed an even better response. On Rotten Tomatoes, its95% critics and 87% audience ratingsmean Jacobson and company can certainly feel hard done-by over its cancellation. It won a GLAAD media award for Outstanding New TV series earlier this year, too, which further suggests that it should have been given more time to shine.

Still, despite Amazon’s shuttering of the pair, they’re still two of thebest Prime Video showsin our view. It’s unclear if another streaming giant will save one or both shows from a place in the television afterlife; but if this is the end of the road, they shone brightly in their time on our screens.

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As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.

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