The trend of canceling projects in production continues to haunt fans of content providers in the U.S.
According to Variety, the embattled AMC has canceled 61st Street Season 2 and Invitation to a Bonfire.
The cancellations come as AMC is in belt-tightening mode, much like several other companies.
The news for 61st Street comes after production on the second season is completed, which is even more aggravating for fans of the series who invested time in the first season.
As you will likely recall, the drama series was picked up for two seasons when it landed a formal order in 2019.
The first season aired in 2022 but didn’t perform as well as expected.
However, AMC shared first-look photos for the second season following the first season finale.
The series starred Emmy®-winner Courtney B. Vance (The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story, Lovecraft Country), Emmy®-nominee Aunjanue Ellis (When They See Us, King Richard), and Mark O’Brien (City on a Hill, Blue Bayou).
The cast was rounded out by Holt McCallany (Mindhunter, Lights Out), Tosin Cole (Doctor Who, Hollyoaks), Andrene Ward-Hammond (Your Honor, Manifest), and Bentley Green (Snowfall, Sweet Magnolias).
Invitation to a Bonfire was set to star Tatiana Maslany and reportedly completed two-thirds of its season when the news broke.
Based on the novel by Adrienne Celt, Invitation to a Bonfire is a psychological thriller set in the 1930s at an all-girls boarding school in New Jersey.
In addition to Maslany, the cast also included Freya Mavor (Skins), Pilou Asbæk (Borgen, Game of Thrones), and Ngozi Anyanwu (The Deuce).
From creator, showrunner, and executive producer Rachel Caris Love (Physical), the series is inspired by Vladimir and Vera Nabokov’s co-dependent marriage and follows Zoya (Mavor), a young Russian immigrant and groundskeeper, who is drawn into a lethal love triangle with the school’s newest faculty member (Asbæk) — an enigmatic novelist — and his bewitching wife (Maslany).
The cancellation cuts deep because now that production has been scrapped with two episodes to be filmed, it makes it unlikely the show could move elsewhere.
Getting the cast and creatives back together will not be easy, so we’re inclined to believe this one will never see the light of day.
AMC previously scrapped Season 2 of Moonhaven, despite the first season drawing decent reviews.
The cabler/streamer has plenty of shows on its development slate, including four spinoffs of The Walking Dead.
The main series ended last year, but the franchise is expected to live for years, thanks to the spinoffs.
It would be a shocker if any of those shows were canceled with episodes in the can, but anything can happen.
What are your thoughts on these cancellations?
Do you think AMC is making a mistake?
Hit the comments below.
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
