The Reason Scream Queens Was Canceled After Only 2 Seasons

"Scream Queens" feels like a show that was tailor-made for the streaming age and, perhaps just a tiny bit ahead of its time. Or maybe just made for the wrong network. Either way, the series only lasted two seasons on Fox and was canceled after airing just 23 episodes, which is nothing for a major network show, really. Hailing from "American Horror Story" creator Ryan Murphy, the anthology series developed a loyal following across its two seasons, but that following wasn't enough for Fox to keep it on the air.

So, why was the show canceled? Why wasn't it saved by a streaming service like Hulu? Is there a chance that it could be revived at some point in the future? We're here to answer all of those burning questions, while not providing much by way of false hope either, as it seems like this show's days are truly numbered. Let's dig in.

"Scream Queens" was officially canceled by Fox in May of 2017, roughly six months after the second season wrapped up its run in December 2016. While the ratings were very much a topic of discussion (more on that in a moment), the reasoning cited by the network had more to do with the fact that Murphy was ready to end the show. Then-Fox chairman Gary Newman had this to say (via Deadline) at the time:

"It is an anthology series, and Ryan felt that he told the story over the two seasons, he felt the story was complete. There is no plan to go back and tell more stories."

That makes it seem like it was Murphy's decision to conclude the show. In truth, he was very busy at the time, as his drama "9-1-1" was just getting underway, also for Fox, while "American Horror Story" was still going strong. And not long thereafter, he signed a whopping $300 million deal with Netflix in early 2018 that made him one of the highest-paid creatives in the history of television. Needless to say, Murphy kept busy without this show all the same.

The other cold, hard truth of the matter is that the ratings for "Scream Queens" weren't particularly great relative to what a network TV show needs in order to keep it on the air. The metrics vary from network to network, particularly when it comes to cable, but for a big network like Fox, the bar is often higher. While the debut episode brought in over 4 million viewers, that number dropped to less than 1.4 million by the season 2 finale.

That said, Variety reported while the show was in limbo that Fox executives were painting a bit of a different picture. "It's very much still in consideration for a renewal," the network said in January. "The ratings don't tell the whole story; because it's such a young audience, you can't really even see the full picture." Indeed, its audience did grow through streaming, particularly on Hulu, but that didn't mean as much to Fox as live ratings, especially a handful of years ago when streaming was still in the process of truly taking over the media landscape.

Had the show been given the green light at Hulu in the first place, or maybe even FX, things might have been different. But on Fox? The numbers just didn't add up and, even though the core audience of fans was loyal, the realities of the business at the time were what they were. Things have changed though, and several people involved with the show haven't fully let it go.

In an era now where shows are saved all the time by other networks or streaming services, it might not feel like "Scream Queens" is totally dead. Could a third season ever happen? Might Ryan Murphy and the cast get back together for another round of horror shenanigans? It's not entirely out of the question, assuming the powers that be deem it so. Though, admittedly, it seems quite unlikely.

Murphy addressed the topic in an interview with Deadline in 2019. At the time, he explained that several of the cast members, including Emma Roberts and "Halloween" star Jamie Lee Curtis were on board. But it really comes down to whether or not Fox would want to do it:

"Emma said she would do it, Lea Michelle said she would do it, Jamie Lee Curtis, Abigail Breslin, Billie Lourd are all in. So it would depend if Fox wants to do it. I think we'd all do it. I think we're waiting for them to call us. I know the show is very popular and had a real spike in popularity on Hulu. That was another one when we were making it; I don't know if time has caught up to it, or it takes a while for people to get things, but yes, I'd be up for it."

So don't get your hopes up, as Fox canceled the show for a reason. But if they could strike a deal with Hulu or something like that? Who knows? But it's already been six years, and the audience that might have made this a decent enough idea at one point or another has probably moved on.