Another streaming service is doing a content purge. According to Deadline, Paramount+ has canceled Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Star Trek: Prodigy, Queen of the Universe, and The Game. Not only will the shows have no future episodes, but the already aired content will be removed entirely from Paramount+. This will certainly disappoint many fans of the 1978 musical film, as the series only had one season. And Trekkies will surely be sad to see yet another Star Trek series get canceled. Star Trek: Picard recently ended after three seasons, and Star Trek: Discovery will end with its fifth season in 2024.
‘Grease,’ ‘Star Trek,’ and More Canceled by Paramount+
With the loss of four shows, particularly those from major franchises Grease and Star Trek, Paramount+ is the latest streaming service to undergo a content purge. Disney+ recently canceled and removed several of its shows. Those shows included The Mysterious Benedict Society, Willow, Just Beyond, and The World According to Jeff Goldblum. The platform also removed the series Runaways without warning. That show initially ran and continued to stream on Hulu, which also did a major content purge recently. With so many cancellations, some are beginning to doubt streaming services and wonder why they are paying so much.
While this is not an unreasonable thing to consider, streaming services with original content are a fairly recent endeavor. Cancelations are not a new thing in entertainment. Many regular cable shows were canceled after one season, only to become cult classics. Such shows include Freaks and Geeks and Firefly, the latter of which got a motion picture finale to satisfy its many fans.
Streaming services are making major sacrifices. Amazon Prime recently ended Carnival Row after only two seasons, and many fans felt it was too soon. But while these shows may never be revived, who knows what the future holds with a strong enough fanbase?
Paramount+ appealed to a major fanbase with Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies and Star Trek: Discovery are already franchises with a cult following, and Paramont+ may already have cult classics with both shows.
