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Amazon’s Prime Video service has cancelled one of its best-loved shows, leaving several questions unanswered.
Fans have been left frustrated by yet another streaming platform’s decision to cancel a show before its time. The latest series to be axed is Outer Range, which starred Avengers and Dune actor Josh Brolin.
This makes the season two finale, which arrived on the service in May, the last ever episode of the science-fiction Western hybrid.
It followed a rancher who discovers a dark void at the edge of Wyoming’s wilderness. However, the resolution behind what exactly that mystery is will never be revealed – a detail that’s angering fans who had become invested in the show.
“Am getting really tired of being invested in mysterious TV shows,” one person wrote, adding: “I am almost to the point where I am better off waiting to see if a show is renewed before even trying the first season.”
Another branded the decision “ridiculous” as Outer Range was “one of a small handful of excellent shows” on Prime Video.
One person added: “Gutted to hear Amazon has cancelled Outer Range after 2 seasons. I have really enjoyed the show so far and wanted to know what the hole was all about. We’ll likely never know.”
Others branded the show “fantastic” and said the second season had “upped the ante” after a slower first season.
The show was created by Charles Murray and also starred Lili Taylor, Imogen Poots, Tamara Podemski, Lewis Pullman and Will Patton. While unconfirmed, it seems likely Murray might shop the series around in order for it to find a new home.
Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
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Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 days
New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled
News of the show’s cancellation is particularly surprising considering the second season saw Outer Range reach number three on the Nielsen Streaming Originals, which compiles viewing figures for streaming shows.
Outer Range is not the only sci-fi show cancelled by Prime Video, with The Peripheral – a promising series from the creators of Westworld – culled by the service last year.
Meanwhile, Max, HBO’s streaming service, has been unceremoniously firing a bunch of shows, some of which have been added to Netflix in the hopes of gaining a fanbase. These include animated series Scavengers Reign and Warrior.
It creates a worrying quandary for television – people are increasingly being deterred from investing time into watching a mystery-laden series, but if not enough people watch in the first instance, a series will never get renewed.
