Doctor Who spin-off Class will reportedly be canceled by BBC

It looks like school’s out already — we’re facing the reality of the Doctor Who spin-off Class canceled.

According to the Mirror, the BBC is ready to move forward without the series, written by Patrick Ness, after it failed to make a ratings impact in its first go-around on the air. It’s a sad move mostly from the vantage point of losing good, creative, and interesting drama that appeals to young adults. Yet, the reality here is that this is a network with limited funds. They need to distribute them wherever they can in turn generate some of the most money possible.

If you were to look at what went wrong leading up to Class ending, the biggest thing you can blame is simply a matter of the network. The series airing on BBC Three, a streaming network at this point, was a huge detriment. While streaming venues are valuable, this was a show meant for a family audience and through this network, you lose that communal aspect of sitting around and watching the event play out with your friends and family unless you’ve got everything connected the right way. For viewers who lack the tech-savvy skills, this was more of a challenging experience to watch.

Meanwhile, the series failed to get much hype beyond a cameo appearance from flagship series star Peter Capaldi, and the ratings proved to be a reflection of that.

Can a Doctor Who spin-off succeed in 2017?

It feels foolish to say otherwise, given that Torchwood to this day is in particular beloved by many people. It feels ultimately like the biggest issue that doomed Class was the mere fact that it didn’t have enough connectivity beyond the Coal Hill School, and it was geared for a different audience when many diehard viewers are now adults. We’d argue that a concept is there with Ashildr and Clara Oswald, though that won’t be happening due to Jenna Coleman being the star of “Victoria” over on ITV.

Do you have any reaction to the Doctor Who spin-off being canceled? Is there hope for future iterations of the brand? Be sure to share in the comments. (Photo: BBC.)