SyFy's recent Grindhouse series BLOOD DRIVE was something I was looking forward to this year.
Granted the series would have been a bigger priority in the mid-2000's but still, the show looked insane and I was down for its brand of craziness. But it looks like I may have waited too long as series creator James Roland just dropped the news the series has been canceled by SyFy after only one season.
Guess we all shouldn't have waited to binge it, huh? You can Roland's (lengthy) announcement below and then check our own Eric Walkuski's review of the first 3 episodes RIGHT HERE.
BLOOD DRIVE creator James Roland on the cancellation:
Dear Bleeders,
Unfortunately, your suspicions are correct. Syfy has canceled Blood Drive after one season.
If this news makes you angry or sad, you’re not alone.
I found out not too long ago, but have been trying to think of a way to tell you guys since I felt it was up to me to let the fans know.
Ultimately I decided to wait until after the final episode aired so the news did not taint your experience. It simply didn’t seem right to burst the bubble so early, especially with how the last episode plays out. We always planned for a season two, but now that the future of the show is uncertain the final scenes seem so much more … final.
If I never get the chance to tell my version of what comes next, I’ll be incredibly sad.
But the good news is, then you can make up your own. The story is yours now, it always was from the first moment it was broadcast. If you love it, take it and play with it in your own imagination.
The future is not set, in our world or the world of Blood Drive.
As to the reasons why the show is cancelled, I’m not privy to all the details. Obviously the ratings were low, but it was also a very noisy show on social media (thanks to you guys!) and a very well-reviewed show with critics as well.
This I do know: despite canceling us, Syfy was the only network with the steel to make the show in the first place.
When the script was making the rounds I took a LOT of meetings. Every place loved to sing its praises. One major cable network flat out told me that if they’d made the show they’d make me the showrunner, give me a larger budget, and generally suck all my parts.
But guess what? They didn’t make the show, so it was easy for them to say.
It was Syfy that took the risk, and for that I’m forever grateful, even if I did get super pissy whenever I couldn’t show enough gore and dick and titties. But I’m confident they knew it was just because I’m a pervert and didn’t take it personally.
I’m bummed that Blood Drive didn’t pay off for them the way they wanted but I can’t believe we got away with a full season of the CRAZIEST show on TV.
We owe them props for making all this insanity possible.
So what about the future of Blood Drive?
Unclear. There’s definitely no season two in the immediate future, but I remain cautiously optimistic there’s more story to tell in this world. NBC|Universal owns the show so when the time comes I’ll approach them with some ideas and we’ll see what they think.
Until then, just do what Bleeders do best, share the show with others, share the #RenewBloodDrive hashtag, and generally be awesome. And enjoy season one on its own merits even if we never see more episodes.
Everyone involved in this show was amazing, too many to list them all, but if you want to track down past and future endeavors of some shockingly talented people, just IMDB the shit out of our crew. They were given incredible creative freedom so their contributions speak directly to their talents.
I try to express my gratitude online as much as possible, but it never seems enough.
All the Bleeders that have gone nuts for this show, you were the most rewarding part of a very rewarding process.
The world of Blood Drive has been in my head for over five years, and for the past two I’ve devoted the bulk of my waking hours to making it a reality. Along the way we built one of the very best crews I’ve ever worked with, from writers’ assistant (Alex!) up to showrunner (Hlavin!).
I made lifelong friends.
I got to make a show that I love so much I actually watch episodes as a fan (don’t tell anyone it makes me sound like a douchebag).
The past two years are maybe the best of my life, creatively and personally. But none of that prepared me for how incredible it was seeing the show connect with you all on a deep level.
So thank you for watching and thank you for loving and thank you for nitpicking and thank you for tweeting and thank you for bleeding for this show.
It means so damn much to every person that already bled for it (sometimes literally).
Thank you from the bottom of Heart Enterprises.
Sincerely,
James Roland
What do you think of SyFy's BLOOD DRIVE getting the axe after only one season? Did you watch the series? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
We'll let you know when (if) BLOOD DRIVE hits Netflix.