Demascus emerges as the latest casualty in AMC’s cost-cutting efforts.
AMC
Sporadic cancellations have become commonplace throughout the past year, with many networks and major steamers implementing these cost-cutting measures. On Friday, Deadline broke the news that AMC’s Demascus is the latest on the chopping block, officially receiving its cancelation notice. The half-hour six-episode science fiction comedy comes from playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm and executive producers Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) and Kirk Moore (American Crime), who also doubled as the series showrunner. Unfortunately, the cancelation news occurred after Demascus had wrapped up production, with the series set to premiere on AMC and AMC+ this year.
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Demascus follows an eponymous character, an ordinary 33-year-old Black man on a mission of self-discovery. He experiences different versions of his life using innovative technology within the emergent digital psychiatry field to help find his truest self. Despite being listed as a sci-fi comedy, the series delves into self-maturation, personal exploration, and varying Black male perspectives through alternative realities in a genre-fluid way.
Okieriete Onaodowan portrayed the titular character, leading the comedic sci-fi alongside Janet Hubert, Caleb Eberhardt, Shakira Ja’nai Paye, and Martin Lawrence, who was playing a recurring role.
Demascus joins an expanding cancelation list of AMC shows, all of which are part of AMC’s efforts to mitigate costs after the network announced plans to write down $400 million of programming last year. The upcoming thriller Invitation to a Bonfire also didn’t make it to air, being canceled during production. Like Demascus, both series were ordered last year as part of AMC’s script-to-series model. Additionally, Moonhaven and 61st Street got the axe in their second seasons, with AMC rescinding their initial decision to move forward with both series.
Related: The Best Sci-Fi Comedies, Ranked
Demascus’ Showrunner Opens Up About the Sudden Cancelations by AMC
AMC+
Showrunner Kirk Moore took to Twitter yesterday in a succession of tweets to address Demascus’ cancelation and the industry’s cost-reduction efforts that negatively affect creators. He announced the news using Deadline’s article with the caption, “Welcome to the business. This sucks. But it’s happening EVERYWHERE.”
According to Deadline, Moore’s now-deleted follow-up tweet included, “It’s wild that no one gets to see all the very good work everyone has put into this project because of finances and issues beyond our control.” He additionally stated that “several other factors” contributed to Demascus’ untimely end, but his tweets covered some of what happened.
Although the series has been dropped from AMC, hope is not entirely lost for audiences to see the sci-fi coming-of-age story. AMC Studios plans to sell the project, meaning it could find a home with another company or streamer. Underneath his announcement tweet, Moore agreed with one user about his hopes of shipping Demascus elsewhere.
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