Taika Waititi’s Fantasy Reboot Series Cancelled After Only One Season

Taika Waititi’s latest fantasy show has been cancelled after a single season. Apple TV+’s Time Bandits hit the streamer back in July of this year. Unfortunately, Lisa Kudrow and these colorful characters won’t be getting the chance at a Season 2, according to THR. Older fans might remember Terry Gilliam’s movie from 1981. This current era of TV and movies has been characterized by different studios and companies trying to find hits in their back catalogs. Waititi opted to revisit the time travel story for this Apple TV+ show and the first reactions and reviews from critics were positive. However, the streamer probably took a look at the viewership numbers for the series when handling this decision. Time Bandits never cracked those Nielsen Top 10.

In recent years, Apple TV+ has attracted a reputation as a destination for prestige TV dramas that may not even have been greenlit by the other competitors in this space. Shows like Severence, Silo, Slow Horses, and more have all flourished under that umbrella. Unfortunately, with top-of-the-line talent and production costs also comes the risk of these shows not making it multiple seasons. Making TV like this isn’t cheap and what happened with Time Bandits is a firm reminder of that reality. 2024 has been a year of most movie studios and entertainment companies announcing belt-tightening across the board. (Nevermind that the efforts to promote these shows hasn’t really been up to par in the streaming era.)

Time Bandits Already Had Season 2 Planned!

Earlier this year, ComicBook interviewed Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement during the virtual press day for Time Bandits. Two episodes hit Apple TV+ to kick things off in mid-July. We absolutely had to ask if there was a second season brewing for this story after the tease of this premise. Unfortunately, for now, the team confirmed that they had been kicking around ideas already. In stark contrast to some other streaming programs, the team said that scripts were already being jotted down. If there’s a revival on tap with another platform, maybe the promise of another season already on paper will be enough to pull in a rival to rescue the show. Clement told us then, “We are actually writing a second season, but it depends on if people watch the first season. If no one watches it, we throw it away in a bin.”

He added, “But I cannot tell you because I don’t want to spoil the second season.” Sadly, we might never get to see what they had cooking for the next outing. In 2024, the door is never truly closed on any show or property. But, with so much of streaming shifting towards popularly established IP, will a suitor come to Time Bandits‘ rescue? It’s hard to say, the name of the game as more of these programs have popped up is unpredictability. Wynona Earp is literally celebrating a release of more content this month and there are multiple fan pushes to bring other shows back from cancellation. (Search for Star Wars: The Acolyte on social media for more on that front as well.) For now, it looks like things are done and dusted.

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