‘Beyond’ Canceled at Freeform

Freeform has cancelled the science fiction drama Beyond, a week after the second season finale aired.

The second season saw ratings drop about 50% from the first season. The show averaged just a 0.08 rating in the key 18-49 demographic and only 244,000 viewers per episode, reports Variety. That is about a 50% drop from the first season in viewers and the key demographic.

The series starred Burkeley Duffeild as Holden, who wakes up after being in a coma for 12 years, only to find out that he has new abilities and is somehow connected to a mysterious conspiracy. As the show went on, Holden had to find out what happened during those 12 years, what changed in the world and why it all happened to him.

The rest of the cast induced Michael McGrady, Jonathan Whitesell, Dilan Gwyn and Romy Rosemont. It was written and executive produced by Once Upon a Time‘s Adam Nussdorf, Heroes‘ Tim Kring and Battlestar Galactica‘s David Eick.

Gwyn was the show’s lead actress, co-starring with Duffield as Willa. In a recent interview with ESPN, she said she loved playing the role.

“Willa is such a mystery; that’s why I love playing her. She’s this pint-size girl who can also defend herself by fighting,” Gwyn said. “Although she’s strong, she has a lot vulnerability, which is revealed throughout the season.”

When the show debuted in January 2017, Freeform took the surprising step of releasing the entire season online first. It worked at first, with 14 million people watching the show during its first week.

“Our goal for launching Beyond was to give the audience outstanding content in the way they want to watch it,” Freeform president Tom Ascheim said at the time, reports The Hollywood Reporter. “The response has far exceeded our greatest expectations, both quantitatively and qualitatively, and we can’t wait to bring more Beyond to its growing fan base.”

Freeform is still committed to science fiction shows, as the former ABC Family is also home to Shadowhunters and the new mermaid-themed series Siren. The network is also going to air Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger.

Cloak & Daggar debuts on June 7.

Photo credit: Freeform