In the wake of news of planned large-scale layoffs at AMC Networks, AMC+ has cancelled a hit series despite a Season 2 renewal earlier this year. According to Deadline, AMC+ is no longer going forward with the second season of Peter Ocko’s sci-fi/drama series, Moonhaven. The series ended its six-episode first season run back in August and was given an early Season 2 renewal in July. According to the report, the cancellation of Moonhaven is part of the network’s wide scale cost cutting measures which include write-downs for up to $475 million.
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The cancellation of Moonhaven comes as a bit of surprise. According to AMC earlier this year, Moonhaven was one of two new series — the other being Dark Winds — that was setting new viewership records for AMC+, something that’s notable considering that Moonhaven was exclusive to the streaming platform and didn’t otherwise run linearly on AMC.
What is Moonhaven about?
Moonhaven stars Emma McDonald, Dominic Monaghan (Lost, Lord of the Rings), Ayelet Zurer (Man of Steel, Daredevil), Joe Manganiello (Zack Snyder’s Justice League), Kadeem Hardison (A Different World) and Yazzmin Newell.
The series is described as follows: “Moonhaven focuses on Bella Sway, a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler 100 years in the future who finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community set on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the Moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth. A skeptic in Paradise, Bella is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of the artificial intelligence responsible for Moonhaven’s miracles and teams with a local detective to stop the forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope before they are destroyed themselves.”
How extensive are the AMC Networks layoffs expected to be?
According to a previous report, AMC Networks’ restructuring appears to be fairly substantial. CEO Christina Spade stepped down last Tuesday and it was announced that the company plans to lay off around 20 percent of its U.S. staff — roughly 200 people — in addition to the write-downs.
Are you disappointed that Moonhaven has been canceled despite having previously been renewed for a second season? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.
