Netflix has cancelled The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance after 1 season

At last weekend's Primetime Emmy Awards, the Netflix series The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance – a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson/Frank Oz film THE DARK CRYSTAL (pick up a copy HERE) – won the award for Outstanding Children's Program. And then this week began with the confirmation that Netflix has cancelled the series after just one ten-episode season.

The show's executive producer Lisa Henson, who is also CEO of The Jim Henson Company CEO, broke the news to io9 with the following statement: 

We can confirm that there will not be an additional season of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance. We know fans are eager to learn how this chapter of The Dark Crystal saga concludes and we’ll look for ways to tell that story in the future. Our company has a legacy of creating rich and complex worlds that require technical innovation, artistic excellence, and masterful storytelling. Our history also includes productions that are enduring, often finding and growing their audience over time and proving again and again that fantasy and science fiction genres reflect eternal messages and truths that are always relevant. We are so grateful to Netflix for trusting us to realize this ambitious series; we are deeply proud of our work on Age of Resistance, and the acclaim it has received from fans, critics and our peers, most recently receiving an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program."

Netflix also released a statement, saying: 

We are grateful to the master artists at the Jim Henson Company for bringing The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance to life for fans around the world. We’re thankful to the executive producers Lisa Henson and Halle Stanford, and Louis Leterrier, who also directed all episodes, as well as the writers, cast and crew for their outstanding work and thrilled they were recognized with the Emmy this weekend."

Although Age of Resistance was well-received (obviously, given the Emmy win), a source told The Hollywood Reporter that Netflix considered the show to be an "expensive disappointment", as it didn't draw in as many viewers as the streaming service had been hoping it would.

I have to admit, I still haven't watched The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance myself. I never saw the original film when I was a kid, so I don't have the connection to the material that would have made me interested in checking out the series right away.

Directed by Louis Leterrier, Age of Resistance told a story

set many years before the events of the movie and realized using classic puppetry with cutting edge visual effects. The world of Thra is dying. The Crystal of Truth is at the heart of Thra, a source of untold power. But it is damaged, corrupted by the evil Skeksis, and a sickness spreads across the land. When three Gelfling uncover the horrific truth behind the power of the Skeksis, an adventure unfolds as the fires of rebellion are lit and an epic battle for the planet begins.

The cast of puppets were voiced by the likes of Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Helena Bonham Carter, Natalie Dormer, Eddie Izzard, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Alicia Vikander, Mark Hamill, Keegan-Michael Key, Simon Pegg, Andy Samberg, Awkwafina, Lena Headey, and Sigourney Weaver.

Combine that vocal cast with all the puppetry that was required and it's no wonder the show was so expensive.