‘Brave New World’ Canceled at Peacock

Peacock’s first big scripted launch is officially a one-and-done.

The NBCUniversal-backed streaming platform has canceled Brave New World after one season. Sources say the show’s studio arm, Universal Cable Productions, is in the process of shopping the series to find an international window for the sci-fi drama based on Aldous Huxley’s novel. It’s unclear if landing an international partner will lead to a second season for Brave New World.

Starring Alden Ehrenreich and Demi Moore, the series was originally developed for USA Network and held back as a high-profile series to help launch streamer Peacock, which remains a top priority for NBCUni.

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First put in development back in 2015 — under former Syfy president Dave Howe — and picked up to series in February 2019, David Wiener (Homecoming) and Grant Morrison exec produced the series from UCP. The series imagines a utopian society that has achieved peace and stability through the prohibition of monogamy, privacy, money, family and history itself.

The series debuted all nine episodes in July, when Peacock launched nationally. Critics panned the show, which currently has a 45 percent rating on RottenTomatoes.com, though audiences viewed it favorably (81 percent on the aggregation site).

“There will not be season two of Brave New World on Peacock,” reps for UCP and Peacock said in a statement late Wednesday. “David Wiener created a thought-provoking and cinematic adaptation. We’re grateful to the cast and crew who brought this world to life. We look forward to telling more stories with David in the future.”

Peacock’s launch was severely impacted by the pandemic. A number of scripted originals were forced to shut down, and it delayed the Tokyo Olympics, which was to have been streamed on the service.

As for the rest of Peacock’s slate of originals, that includes the upcoming Saved By the Bell and Punky Brewster updates as well as Dr. Death and Ed Helms comedy Rutherford Falls, among others.