Showtime’s The Man Who Fell to Earth is not slated to return for a second season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Sources tell the news outlet that the premium film channel has passed on renewing the show for any further episodes. The series showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet had recently spoken about how the show was intended to be a limited series with a definitive conclusion. However, halfway through the season, plans started to change.
The network execs were said to have been satisfied with the show’s limited run and felt the program had come to a natural conclusion. In a statement released by a Showtime spokesperson, the company wished to acknowledge and thank the creative team for their contribution,
Our thanks to the extraordinary Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, John Hlavin and Sarah Timberman who did a great job of turning the David Bowie film into such a resonant tale for our times. And kudos to a wondrous cast led by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris and Bill Nighy for bringing it to life. Alex and Jenny originally intended The Man Who Fell To Earth to be a close-ended story. While we flirted with the idea of expanding it into a second season, we all ultimately decided to embrace it as a one season story well told.”
The series was originally supposed to be a streaming exclusive on Paramount+ and had been picked up in 2019. However, the network thought it best to make it available on the cable channel Showtime as it felt better suited for the outlet.
The series is based on the 1963 novel by Walter Tevis and was eventually adapted into a live-action film starring David Bowie in 1976. This adaptation stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as the alien who lands on our planet.
Alex Kurtzman would also run another sci-fi franchise for Paramount as he is a big series developer for the new Star Trek series, including Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard.