It’s very hard for time travel dramas to gain traction. Time Bandits is the latest series in the genre to end up canceled after just one season.
Apple TV+ has decided not to continue with the story. The news from TVLine comes almost two months after the finale aired. The 10 episodes are still available to stream on Apple TV+.
Why was Time Bandits canceled after one season?
Apple TV+ hasn’t explained why it opted to cancel the series. It’s likely due to the cost of producing it and the lack of viewers. I’ve got to be honest and say that I rarely heard anyone talking about this series despite it looking like a fun ride.
Time travel dramas are expensive to produce. That’s especially the case when the time travel goes to different periods. The costumes and CGI end up costing the most money to produce the show, especially if a show wants to look accurate for a time. Even in a comedy, the show will want to look good.
If there weren’t enough people watching the first season, it would lead to Apple worrying that there isn’t the audience for a second season. This would lead to the show costing more than it gains back through subscriptions. The best thing is to cancel the show before the costs go up exponentially, which happens around the third season of a streaming series.
Time Bandits likely isn’t being shopped around
It doesn’t sound like co-creator Taika Waititi is shopping the series around to other networks. As much as fans would love to see it get a second life, it is difficult to save a streaming show. The contracts in place make it much harder than a broadcast show.
Plus, the reason behind the cancellation is going to come into effect. Apple TV+ is an international streamer, so if it couldn’t get the views, U.S.-only streamers won’t find success with it, and other international streamers are less likely to take on the risk.