Project Blue Book Cancelled By History Channel

Project Blue Book has been cancelled by the History Channel. The show had just ended its second season on a major cliffhanger, which saw one series protagonist, Capt. Michael Quinn (Michael Malarkey), seemingly die an explosion, leaving his partner Dr. Allen Hynek (Game of Thrones' Aidan Gillen) on the search for Quinn. The show was inspired by the real-life works of Dr. J. Allen Hynek and his fellow researchers at the actual Project Blue Book, which were a series of studies about UFOs conducted by the US Air Force in the 1950s. A+E Networks has now made the official decision not greenlight Project Blue Book season 3, Deadline reports.

The series was created by newcomer David O'Leary, with the backing of Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis, who served as executive producer. In addition to Aidan Gillen as its star, and Michael Malarky as co-star, Project Blue Book included Neal McDonough (Arrow), Laura Mennell (Van Helsing), Ksenia Solo (TURN: Washington's Spies), and other talented character actors from some fan-favorite series. While not not a critical hit, Project Blue Book scored strong ratings for History Channel in its first season (Nearly 4 million viewers a week, during its first few weeks on air), but cooled off quickly down the back final arc of the season. Ratings slowly but surely eroded in season 2, with little hype for the series probably being the final deciding factor.

It's sadly ironic: Project Blue Book was telling a story that has suddenly become all-too-relevant again, as the government has unclassified video footage of encounters with UFOs. In any other year than 2020, that cultural milestone would be a major talking point - as would a show giving more background insight into the history of the clandestine government projects regarding UFO phenomena.

Here's the Synopsis, in case you have any sudden interest in checking out Project Blue Book:

"In this conspiratorial Sci-Fi thriller set some time after WWII and loosely based on the US government's real life Project Blue Book, Captain Michael Quinn and Dr. Allen Hynek are tasked by the US Air Force to investigate reports of UFOs and debunk them, or at least come up with rational explanations for them. While Quinn, a smooth and tough military type, doesn't care about anything other than doing the job he was given, at first, the more skeptical Hynek quickly becomes convinced that some kind of deadly conspiracy is afoot. Meanwhile, as Cold War paranoia spreads among the population, a charismatic blonde with an agenda of her own befriends Hynek's lonely wife."