Does Prodigy's semi cancellation make Legacy more likely?

[Omegaphallic]

Does Prodigy's semi cancellation make Legacy more likely?

Alot of folks felt this was done to free up both money and space on the calendar for Star Trek Legacy, thoughts?

 

[Dukhat]

Does Prodigy's semi cancellation make Legacy more likely?

No.

A lot of folks felt this was done to free up both money and space on the calendar for Star Trek Legacy, thoughts?

What folks think that?

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I think the odds are the same, but if everyone is tightening their belts, leaning towards Legacy happening being less than likely.

I don't think there's a thing going on where they will take the budget meant for Prodigy and apply it to Legacy. Prodigy was going to unfortunately get canceled regardless.

 

[fireproof78]

Does Prodigy's semi cancellation make Legacy more likely?

Nope.

Money is still tight.

 

[Christopher]

If anything, it makes the future of Star Trek far more tenuous. The only reason we've gotten such a proliferation of Trek shows in the past few years is to generate a large library of streaming content for Paramount, and as the streaming bubble bursts, studios are divesting and selling off and cancelling all over the place. Anyone who thinks this decision was about Star Trek is living in a Star Trek-centric bubble and unaware of the larger factors that Prodigy was just one casualty of. For all we know, this is a harbinger of Paramount+'s downfall. I wouldn't bet on the future of any Trek series at this point.

 

[F. King Daniel]

It means Paramount+ are struggling. Erasing shows permanently as tax write offs is never a good sign. And Star Trek isn't cheap.

 

[The Wormhole]

Hell, Prodigy was probably cheaper than Legacy likely would be.

 

[donners22]

I don't think the cancellation of Prodigy says anything about the future of P+; it's readily apparent that Prodigy just didn't have much of an audience. If SNW was cancelled I'd be concerned, as that does have a sizable following.

Nor do I think it means anything much with respect to Legacy; Legacy would surely be a hell of a lot more expensive.

 

[Christopher]

I don't think the cancellation of Prodigy says anything about the future of P+; it's readily apparent that Prodigy just didn't have much of an audience.

"Readily apparent" based on what? I don't think that data has been released. Streamers tend to be very secretive about viewing figures.

It is connected to the future of P+ in at least one way, because the reason for it was the merger of P+ with Showtime two days from now. Apparently they want to streamline their content or divest themselves of assets or something before the merger, even though it sounds like the merger won't affect the basic un-bundled P+ tier except for adding a dollar to the monthly price.

And come on, cancelling a show before its nearly-completed second season has even aired is not a normal decision. If it did so badly in the ratings, why even renew it for a second season? Why commit to completing the season and shopping it around elsewhere? Paramount still believes they can profit from the show, just not as Paramount Plus content.

 

[donners22]

"Readily apparent" based on what? I don't think that data has been released. Streamers tend to be very secretive about viewing figures.

Relative popularity is discernible from the official trending lists; there's good tracking of them here. Prodigy has barely made a blip in viewership anywhere in the world - a couple of very small spikes in January and December 2022, and then yesterday after the news of cancellation. Contrast it with the other Trek shows and it's a long way behind.

 

[StarMan]

Anyone who thinks this decision was about Star Trek is living in a Star Trek-centric bubble and unaware of the larger factors that Prodigy was just one casualty of.

Yeah.

As for Legacy, it would amount to - what - a continuation of the 24th century-based era with Seven, Raffi, Jack etc. and perhaps a smattering of one or two "legacy" characters from the pool of Berman era shows? I'm not sold on that premise.

S3 didn't draw extra attention for any of the above characters, it was the reunion of the Next Gen cast (along with a heavy layer of nostalgia for the more hardcore fans). Legacy would be absent the most important driver of S3. Is it likely to please a subset of the Trek community? Sure. Is it going to attract a whole new demographic and increase subscription numbers? No. It would be a long shot even in a more favorable market, IMO.

It's a contraction. Like you suggest, you've got to zoom out from Trek and look at the bigger picture.

I think the more appropriate question to ask is what shows currently in production or slated to be will survive.

 

[Christopher]

As for Legacy, it would amount to - what - a continuation of the 24th century-based era with Seven, Raffi, Jack etc. and perhaps a smattering of one or two "legacy" characters from the pool of Berman era shows? I'm not sold on that premise.

I'd be happy to see a series starring Jeri Ryan and Michelle Hurd, but little else about PIC season 3 appealed to me and I have no desire to see a continuation from the same creators, certainly not if it had the same "nostalgia porn above all" mentality.

 

[fireproof78]

S3 didn't draw extra attention for any of the above characters, it was the reunion of the Next Gen cast (along with a heavy layer of nostalgia for the more hardcore fans). Legacy would be absent the most important driver of S3. Is it likely to please a subset of the Trek community? Sure. Is it going to attract a whole new demographic and increase subscription numbers? No. It would be a long shot even in a more favorable market, IMO.

Indeed, and while it had a lot of good buzz on the web, it appealed largely to those who already had a foot in to Trek in some way, either casually, or TNG fans, or VOY fans, etc. Prodigy had the opportunity to try and take the more casual or uninitiated approach, but Legacy would rely almost exclusively on insular fan knowledge.

 

[Omegaphallic]

Hell, Prodigy was probably cheaper than Legacy likely would be.

I'm not mostly referring to the money, that would pay for an episode or two at most (more if you also concider other cancelled shows like Pink Ladies).

No I'm referring to space on the calendar, alot of folks talking about their already being 51 weeks of Star Trek when the Star Trek Legacy petition was growing, that their was no room for Legacy. Now there is.

I'll add that Paramount+ appears to be pulling back all its Star Treks from Bell except for Strange New Worlds for now. Is that because Paramount decided it needed that to drive Subscriber growth in Canada like it did elsewhere?

Star Trek is largely what built Paramount+, especially early on.

I think they are banking on Star Trek still going forward, its the main engine fueling their growth.

They needed the space for Legacy, they still want to do Prodigy so they are pimping it out.

Too many of you are too gloam and doom.

Have faith, of the heart...

 

[Christopher]

They needed the space for Legacy, they still want to do Prodigy so they are pimping it out.

Prodigy is just one of four shows that Paramount+ pulled prior to its merger with Showtime tomorrow, and reportedly even more of P+'s less popular shows will get the axe in weeks ahead. According to their press release, it's about "refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience" so that the combined P+/Showtime package will be "seamless" for subscribers who have it, whatever that means. Apparently the plan is to streamline their overall catalog of shows, and to cut costs in the way that businesses often do when they merge (e.g. by laying off workers).

https://www.cinemablend.com/streami...atement-cancelling-four-shows-and-remove-them

So presuming that they removed Prodigy to "make space" for Legacy doesn't work. It presupposes an unchanging status quo, a one-to-one swap, but that's not the reality here. The whole thing is being slimmed down, much like multiple other streaming services are doing to cut costs. That does not bode well for the prospects of new shows being added, or current shows having a long future.

 

[Phily B]

Sadly, I can only see Legacy happening if they cancelled the S31 movie and the Discovery spin off which they don't appear to want to do.

 

[valkyrie013]

Even at a million dollars an episode( which is doable) , its still 20 million a year. which is really cheap since they spent 8 million per episode on Disco, for 10+ episodes.
I'd say it wasn't the ratings go getter it should have been, not many new people, just older ones ( like me) being a completist.

 

[Omegaphallic]

Prodigy is just one of four shows that Paramount+ pulled prior to its merger with Showtime tomorrow, and reportedly even more of P+'s less popular shows will get the axe in weeks ahead. According to their press release, it's about "refining our content offering to deliver the best streaming experience" so that the combined P+/Showtime package will be "seamless" for subscribers who have it, whatever that means. Apparently the plan is to streamline their overall catalog of shows, and to cut costs in the way that businesses often do when they merge (e.g. by laying off workers).

https://www.cinemablend.com/streami...atement-cancelling-four-shows-and-remove-them

So presuming that they removed Prodigy to "make space" for Legacy doesn't work. It presupposes an unchanging status quo, a one-to-one swap, but that's not the reality here. The whole thing is being slimmed down, much like multiple other streaming services are doing to cut costs. That does not bode well for the prospects of new shows being added, or current shows having a long future.

They are cutting stuff that doesn't perform, they still need new content, content they have evidence will perform.

 

[Omegaphallic]

Even at a million dollars an episode( which is doable) , its still 20 million a year. which is really cheap since they spent 8 million per episode on Disco, for 10+ episodes.
I'd say it wasn't the ratings go getter it should have been, not many new people, just older ones ( like me) being a completist.

It was a great show, it just failed at its basic purpose, bringing in new young fans.

But as others have pointed out when new Star Treks and renewals were being announced, and Prodigy wasn't, it was a bad sign for Prodigy. The fact that Discovery isn't being pulled does prove it must have a good size audience.

It also means that the rest of the series must be a success because they are being neither cancelled, nor removed.

Star Trek is Paramount's crown Jewel still, as unfortunate as Prodigy's cancellation & removal is, its not a negative statement on Star Trek as a whole unlike the Nu Trek haters would have you believe.

 

[Christopher]

They are cutting stuff that doesn't perform, they still need new content, content they have evidence will perform.

They are cutting stuff that doesn't perform because they need to streamline their content and reduce spending. And so are other streamers; it's an industrywide trend. The streamers we have now might not all survive, or they'll keep merging with each other into a smaller number of streamers and will trim back their combined libraries to emphasize the more popular stuff. You can't assume they'll buy as many shows as they cancel.