Why Peacock Canceled The Copenhagen Test After One Season

"The Copenhagen Test" seemed poised to become a long-running hit on Peacock when it debuted last December. The sci-fi-tinged spy series had James Wan on board as an executive producer, but enticed viewers with a promising cast that included "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" star Simu Liu, Melissa Barrera, Brian d'Arcy James, Kathleen Chalfant and Bavarian the legendary character actor Saul Rubinek. The series got off to a hot start, placing 10th during its first week in the Nielsen streaming originals chart. Alas, "The Copenhagen Test" failed to crack the top 10 after that first week of release (during which all eight episodes were made available for binge viewing), which indicates that word of mouth was lacking. As a result, "The Copenhagen Test" was canceled by Peacock after just one season.

Created by Thomas Brandon ("Legacies), who also served as co-showrunner with Jennifer Yale (best known as the producer of "See" and "Legion"), the show centers on Simu Liu's Alexander Hale, a Chinese-American intelligence operative whose job gets decidedly complicated when hackers gain unfettered access to his brain. For a person whose job security hinges on his ability to keep highly sensitive, balance-of-power-shifting information secret, his professional life and, um, life in general hang in the balance.

Bad shows happen to great actors all the time, but "The Copenhagen Test" owned a semi-respectable 71% critic approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. That should've been good enough for Peacock to give it a second season, but the show's hot start is precisely what doomed it. According to many top critics, "The Copenhagen Test" didn't start posting passing grades until late in its first (and final) season, and this was too little, too late.

How long did it take for "The Copenhagen Test" to find its way? According to The Wall Street Journal's John Anderson, you only needed to slog through that pilot episode, but the Nielsen stats indicate a big chunk of viewers were unwilling to give it a second shot. This is not rare in the streaming age, where every week is cluttered with new series and movies desperate to catch your eyeballs. You can't watch it all — and you shouldn't. Life is like a McRib. We're only here for a limited time. You want your epitaph to read "Loving husband, father and repeat viewer of 'Police Academy' movies?" 

The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg, who arm wrestles Alan Sepinwall daily for the title of "Gen X Tom Shales," diagnosed the flaws of "The Copenhagen Test" as follows:

"The place the show reaches after the eighth episode is probably where it should have been after, say, a two-part pilot. An eight-episode season that could be watched in four and probably should have been two? That, friends, is iffy math."

Great shows can suck for a whole first season. "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" were lost in the wilderness for a year, but NBC stayed their execution. Two decades ago, "The Copenhagen Test" would've gotten a reprieve. In 2026, there was no saving it. What was lost? Only the content gods know.