Sources report that The Peripheral isn't Amazon's only scripted series to have its renewal pulled, and there's at least one other series that won't get a second season.
The cancellation of the series stems from the length of the work stoppage due to the ongoing WGA strike, now in its 109th day, and the SAG-AFTRA strike, on day 36, which have slowed production, leaving large gaps between the seasons and the series are missing their intended release dates.
While this is the first known instance of a renewal rollback during the current strike, there may be more series that have their renewals rolled back or are awaiting a pick-up that will not take place if the work stoppage continues beyond Labor Day, with series starting season two being the most vulnerable. There was a similar series of non-renewals during the pandemic.
The first season of The Peripheral was released in Fall 2022. The sci-fi drama, loosely based on the book of that name, was renewed for season two in February. The series was set to enter production this year for a 2024 release and that pre-production was already well underway when the WGA strike began on May 2.
A delay would impact Amazon's timeline, as there are already plans to roll out content in 2025. In addition, first-year shows have a harder time engaging viewers if they have to wait a long time—in this case, perhaps three years—for new episodes.
While Amazon, like other streaming services, doesn't release ratings, The Peripheral is believed to have done well on the platform. As a major sci-fi drama, however, it is expensive, and a delay brings costs that are added to the budget, including for viewer retention. Since the series has only run for one season, a marketing campaign around the return must also be taken into account.
Not surprisingly, shows that were renewed for a second season were disproportionately hit by rollbacks and canceled after the pandemic halted production for months, creating large gaps between seasons. While there were other contributing factors, most of the unrenewed shows during Covid were in the running for a second season, including Netflix's The Society and I Am Not Okay With This, as well as Showtime's On Becoming A God In Central Florida and ABC's Stumptown.
In addition, the strikes coincide with a period of heightened financial scrutiny among most media companies, which have adjusted their streaming strategies.
The Peripheral is produced by Amazon Studios and Warner Bros. Television, in association with Kilter Films. Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy's Kilter Films has another series lined up, Fallout, the first under the company's agreement with Amazon Studios, which has created strong hype early on.
The Peripheral centers on Flynne Fisher (Moretz), a woman trying to piece together the fragments of her broken family in a forgotten corner of tomorrow's America. Flynne is smart, ambitious and doomed. She has no future until the future comes to get her.
Season One also featured Jack Reynor, Gary Carr, Eli Goree, Louis Herthum, JJ Feild, T'Nia Miller, Charlotte Riley, Alexandra Billings, Adelind Horan, Alex Hernandez, Katie Leung, Julian Moore-Cook, Melinda Page Hamilton, Chris Coy and Austin Rising.
Executive producers for The Peripheral are creator and showrunner Scott B. Smith, director Vincenzo Natali, Nolan and Joy, Athena Wickham and Steven Hoban.
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