Panic Series Cancelled by Amazon After One Season

Panic is on its way out at Amazon Prime. The streamer isn’t renewing the YA thriller for a second season over after it says the series had a lukewarm performance over the course of its inaugural outing. Debuting this May, Panic was created by Lauren Oliver, a show based on her best-selling novel. Once every year, graduating seniors play a daring game in which the winner gets to leave their rural American town.

The news first surfaced via Deadline, which suggests Panic fell short with the same demographic targeted by Amazon’s The Wilds, which has already been renewed for a second season at the streamer. Since Panic Season One told a full story and the desire wasn’t there, the trade suggests Amazon thought it was an ideal time to pull the plug on the series.

ComicBook.com’s Jenna Anderson gave Panic a glowing review, comparing it to “drinking limeade on a cold day.”

“Season 1 of Panic feels like drinking a limeade on a cold day — it’s sweet, but surprisingly complex, and largely goes down easily,” our critic writes. “In a way, the series captures the experience of reading the kind of YA novels its story originated from, the kind that aren’t filled with fantastical lore or magical hooks, but showcase a world that you can’t help but want to get lost in. Between the stellar performances from its ensemble of young stars, a story with enough twists and turns to overlook its occasional unremarkable sequences, and an aesthetic that feels like a Tumblr photoset brought to life, Panic has the potential to be 2021’s next YA hit.”

You can read Anderson’s full review here.

The show’s lone season gathered a 65-percent Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, slightly missing out on the aggregator’s requirements for a “Certified Fresh” badge. The site’s Audience Score is much higher, with 80-percent of audiences enjoying the series.

Cover photo by Thiago Prudêncio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images