Vagrant Queen canceled by Syfy; no season 2 on the way

Vagrant Queen

Given that this is Syfy, we can’t say that we’re shocked by the news that Vagrant Queen has been canceled. Yet, we still are very much sad about it.

The news of the cancellation was first reported by Deadline, and it comes after the adaptation failed to secure much in the way of big ratings throughout its first season. It also was moved midway through to an 11:00 p.m. Eastern time slot — not exactly an easy spot to accumulate ratings, even in an era where not as many people are getting up early the next morning for work.

In theory, we suppose that it’s possible for the show to find a new life somewhere else … we just wouldn’t be altogether confident about it at the moment. Given that Vagrant Queen barely averaged a 0.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic in live airings, we don’t foresee a ton of networks or streaming services willing to come on board. Never say never, though, since some shows do have a tendency to surge in popularity over time.

Syfy over the years has developed a lengthy history of canceling shows fairly early on in their run, with Dark Matter, Alphas, and Krypton being among those to see an untimely end. We don’t think this is simply a matter of the network hating its own shows; instead, it speaks to the problems of being a 21st-century cable network. You are depending on live/DVR viewership at a time when people are dropping their cable plans. Meanwhile, there’s not a viable enough streaming plan as of yet for many of these shows to be monetized easily after the fact. Syfy in particular has further challenges since most of their shows are scripted and carry a budget for some of their special effects. Genre shows in general don’t often have mass appeal.

We wish that someday, we see more Syfy shows have longer runs — but it’s just not happening now.

What do you think about Vagrant Queen being canceled?

Are you going to miss the show? Be sure to share in the comments below, and remember to stick around for some other news. (Photo: Syfy.)

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