According to reports, the ABC showInhumans won’t get a second season.
How the mighty have fallen. Once upon a time, the Inhumans were the star of Marvel Studios. It’s irritating to Marvel that the movie rights to superhero mutants like the X-Men are owned by Fox. With a wide range of powers and a flexible origin, Marvel planned to replace the mutants with Inhumans in the MCU.
“November 3, 2018, will introduce dozens of characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” promised Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, “We really do believe the Inhumans can be a franchise or a series of franchise unto themselves. They have dozens of powers and an amazing social structure. With our 20th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we wanted to continue to refine what that universe is about.”
So what happened?
Who Are the Inhumans?
Inhumans is based on the Marvel Comics race of the same name. The alien race, the Kree experimented on ancient humans and altered their genetic code. The race of altered human beings has the potential to transform and get superhuman powers after exposure to Terrigen gas. The powers range from flight to superhuman strength.
1. The Theatrical Inhumans Movie Was Supposed to Be Huge
At first, they were to appear in a stand-alone film. In 2014, Kevin Feige announced the Inhumans movie was coming November 2, 2018, and promised connections to the MCU. He said the movie would introduce “tons of new characters” and will be their 20th movie. He promised the characters would have new powers, new special effects, and “refine and expand what the Marvel Cinematic Universe is all about.”
Meanwhile, the Inhumans started appearing on the ABC show Agents of SHIELD in a season-long story arc involving Daisy Johnson (Chloe Bennet) and her long-lost mother.
In 2015 it was announced that the Inhumans would have a greater role in the series and Coulson would be assembling a team of Inhumans called the “Secret Warriors”.
All of this set up the triumphant introduction of the Inhumans to the MCU.
2. The Inhumans Movie is Cancelled
After Marvel negotiated a deal with Sony to use Spider-Man in 2016 the Inhumans movie was bumped to July 12, 2019, to make room for a stand-alone movie with “old web-head”. After Walt Disney announced a new Indiana Jones movie and Ant-Man and the Wasp coming in 2019 the movie was pulled from the release schedule.
In November of that year, ABC and Marvel announced that the Agents of SHIELD spin-off Inhumans was coming in 2017. They also announced an exclusive deal to show the two-part pilot episode in IMAX theaters.
This was the first sign that Marvel was having second thoughts about the Inhumans.
3. The Show is Downgraded to a Mini-Series
Inhumans was supposed to be the next big thing in the MCU. But the studio upfronts reveal that the show isn’t going to be a typical 22-episode series like Agents of SHIELD, but an eight episode mini-series.
The season premiere of Agents of SHIELD is moved to a allow the eight episodes of Inhumans to run. Inhumans may never go beyond the mini-series.
4. The Press Event is a Disaster
Earlier this year ABC held its press event at the Television Critics Association and it went so badly the panel was shut down early. The cast, crew, and producers were vague and unresponsive and seemed unable to deal with the negative reaction from the show’s marketing.
One of the reporters asked if the series turned out like they’d hoped. “I can tell you that it was written on the material that you were given that the show that you have seen is not the finished product,” Jeff Loeb, head of Marvel television said. “If you’re asking me whether or not it was done, it’s not. So to be perfectly honest, I don’t understand your question.”
Another reporter said the quality of the episode screened for critics was “not suitable” for IMAX screens, according to Variety.
“I think you’re making an editorial statement, and I’m wondering what the question is,” Loeb replied.
“Will IMAX charge the same amount to see Inhumans as big summer films?” another asked. “No idea,” said Jeph Loeb.
After a series of uncomfortable exchanges, the panel was shut down a few minutes early.
Marvel is clearly on the defense about the show. There’s a good reason.
5. Everybody Hates the Inhumans Series
Since then, the show has been plagued with complaints about bad special effects and terrible wigs. Even the pilot director Roel Reiné told CNET that ABC wanted the show to be made “fast and cheap”
When Inhumans appeared in theaters for its week-long run, down from the original two-week run, it was savaged by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes the movie currently has a “rotten rating” of 7%. Only one out of the 17 reviewers liked the show with most saying the series is “awful” and “the worst Marvel adaptation of the year”.
The early buzz on the show is terrible, meaning the show will have a huge challenge winning over fans.
6. The Inhumans is Scheduled in the “Friday Death Slot”
All this is making ABC nervous and the show is scheduled for the”graveyard slot” on Friday nights which is typically the worst night for primetime ratings. It’s based on the belief that the prime demographic, young, single Americans go out on Friday nights instead of watching TV.
The common belief is that any show airing on Primetime (8:00p – 10:00p) on Friday nights is heading for cancellation or doesn’t have the confidence of the network.
For example, Firefly aired on FOX on Friday nights and was canceled during its first and only season. It didn’t even air all fourteen episodes. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was moved to Fridays during its second and final season. Dark Angel was moved to Friday during its second and final season too.
7. ABC Is Promoting Inhumans As a Single Season Show
Marketing images are promoting “the complete series” which is how DVDs are marketed when the show was canceled in its first season (ex. Firefly: The Complete Series).
It’s worth noting that the posters are from May and may not mean anything. If the show does well then the series could get picked up for season two. But it sure looks like Marvel has made another misstep in it’s carefully planned schedule.
Update: ABC reached out to ComicBookMovie.com with the statement “Please be advised on background that this is the same promotional verbiage we’ve been using throughout our campaign, as this is not a new poster.”
Marvel’s Inhumans will premiere on ABC at 8:00 pm ET on September 29, 2017.
What do you think of the Inhumans show cancellation rumors? Do you feel it will be the best or worst MCU project?
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<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="32094 ">5 Comments
Marvel tv is in trouble. This and their last 2 Netflix series, Iron Fist and Defenders, are not doing so hot. Agents of SHIELD will probably be next.
The television side of Marvel is struggling. They still have hits like Daredevil and Luke Cage, but the ABC side is floundering.
Actual research from TheMarySue.com
"We heard from a Disney rep who clarifies that the poster copy is not new and is the same verbiage that has been used throughout the campaign. This makes sense as Inhumans is intended as an 8-episode miniseries, and we’ll have to wait and see what’s in store for the future of the project."
It went from the IMAX marketing from "The First Chapter (first 2 episodes)" to "The "Complete Series." Every show bases it season by season instead of saying the first season. All depends on numbers.
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