MovieChat Forums > Colony (2016) Discussion > Why do you think the series failed?

Why do you think the series failed?

posted 6 years ago by dt123 (704)
51 replies | jump to latest

From AV Club:

"This is the season finale of Colony, but as of yesterday, it’s now also the series finale. The critically resurgent but chronically under-seen show is wrapping up its third season with a cancelation notice from USA. The current arc has felt like two years’ worth of story in one, as the fight against alien overlords has turned its attention to the messy realities of the various human factions trying to carry on some semblance of life within the Seattle colony—and the secrets contained therein. Tune in to find out just how much of a cliffhanger we’re going to be stuck with as the grace note of this flawed but fascinating series."

I blame the lack of ALIENS. Key to a story about alien overlords, yes? You can't just dribble out little alien teasers every few episodes and keep your numbers up. I honestly think the writers didn't know what to do next so wasted our time with family interplay and looks of worry. So many good teasers of things to come without ever getting there.

[–] kenburke (2372) 5 years ago

It may have been my imagination but Will Bowman came across as a Rick Grimes clone.

[–] kenburke (2372) 5 years ago

Looking back, the series never did show the public what the Raps looked like. That was a boo-boo. Also, the older son, Bram, give the phrase "pain in the ass" new meaning.

[–] Iffy762 (1334) 4 years ago

I think they paid off the mysteries too slowly. I get that they didn't have the budget to show aliens earlier, but sci-fi fans watch in order to figure out the mystery (I think the equivalent for fantasy is that fans want to work out the mythology). You just can't wait till Season 3 to start paying that off. And non-sci-fi fans just get confused when the mysteries build with no payoff. When they get confused, they leave.

I think another big problem is that Sarah Wayne Callies' character, in my opinion, did not generate sufficient empathy to anchor the show. Since they were depending on the character development and relationships (rather than depending on alien reveals) to generate broad interest, then her piece was really important. And she was annoying, as was Bram. Tory Kittles' character, by contrast, was underused. He was the most compelling character on the show (in my opinion).

I think it was a good show, though, and I would really have liked to see them finish it up.