Amazon Renews 'Carnival Row' For Season 2, Cancels 'Too Old To Die Young' And Four Other Shows
Amazon Prime original series needed either fairy wings or a spaceship to escape the bloodbath of Amazon cancellations, as the streaming service axed five shows including Nicolas Winding Refn's Too Old to Die Young and the Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen-fronted supernatural series Forever. But in the midst of Amazon's ruthless cancellations, Carnival Row survived with a second season renewal, despite it being a month out from its season 1 premiere.Variety reports that Amazon announced the renewal of Carnival Row for season 2, which came as a surprise considering the show doesn't premiere on the streaming service until August 30. But it's more surprising in the face of the many cancellations Amazon announced, totaling five series. Those series include Forever, the supernatural half-hour series that aired for one season, Refn's ambitious hourlong crime drama Too Old to Die Young starring Miles Teller, Matthew Weiner's anthology drama series The Romanoffs, the podcast-inspired horror show Lore that ran for two seasons, and Patriot, which also ran for two seasons.
While Carnival Row's renewal is curious considering it hasn't accumulated a following yet, it does fit in with Amazon's new focus for its Amazon Prime originals. Collider notes that the streaming service seems to be shifting to "event series" like Jack Ryan, which has been renewed through season 3 after the reception of its first season, as well as the expensive upcoming Lord of the Rings series. Shows based on the books The Wheel of Time and The Underground Railroad are also in development.
Carnival Row, which is based on Travis Beacham's feature script "A Killing on Carnival Row," seems to fit this mold, with a star-studded cast including Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, who star as two star-crossed lovers in a Victorian fantasy world populated by mythological immigrant creatures and the humans who oppress them. The series got a big push from Amazon at San Diego Comic-Con, where fans were introduced to the sprawling fantasy world through an extensive panel and an immersive activation.Carnival Row premieres on Amazon Prime Video on August 30, 2019.