Once the Disney/Fox merger was a done deal, it just felt like there were a few things that were destined to happen. One of those shoes has just dropped, as Deadline reports that Fox has canceled The Gifted after 2 seasons. Despite doing well with critics, including our podcast which has always supported the show, Fox decided to pull the plug. Ratings were fairly solid too, so what's the problem?
The fact of the matter is, the show is produced by 20th Century Fox, which is now owned by Disney. So essentially, Fox would be carrying a Disney property on their network, which is almost all that remains of what used to be Fox. There is no way that was going to happen. Similar to the situation Netflix with their Marvel series, the merger sort of forced the hand of Fox TV here. What's curious is, according to the same Deadline report, The Orville is also a 20th Century Fox proper but is expected to be renewed. I know that Fox has always had strong ties with Seth MacFarlane, but making an exception here wouldn't make much sense to me. Maybe I'm compromised by my fandom of The Gifted, but Fox seemed to want to put 20th in their rear view, and this move would not do that.
So before the inevitable #SaveTheGifted hashtag campaign gets going, what are the chances that the show gets saved? Being an X-Men property certainly helps matters, as I feel like Disney couldn't wait to get their hands on these characters. We're also talking about a younger generation of mutants (for the most part), which works well when you're talking about the next Phase of Marvel Studios seemingly going a bit younger. I'm not saying we will see Polaris in an MCU movie any time soon (or ever), but the youth movement of this show very much helps it's chances. You also have Freeform, a Disney network, who already airs Marvel's Cloak & Dagger with youthful heroes. Why not add more to the mix? To me, the more likely choice is Hulu. The show is already available on the streaming platform anyway, so you would think that some fans already have the show saved in the list of shows that they watch. This seems like the best lateral move that Disney could make, and would make for an easier transition for fans of The Gifted.
We also have to talk about the other elephant in the room here. No way that Disney brings back Bryan Singer to be associated with this series. With the allegations against him right now, which I won't get into here, I can't imagine that is a chance that Disney wants to take. I do think there is a pretty good chance that Matt Nix returns. He seems to get the best out of a very talented cast already, and I'm not sure that's chemisty that you really want to mess with. There is also a chance that Disney may want to take the show in a different direction creatively, and in that case, most of the folks behind the scenes probably go.
One way or another, I hope the show does get a second chance on another network. While there was somewhat of a conclusion in the Season 2 finale, we still have to find out how and why Blink is back, and where she was leading them all to. While you never want to find out one of your favorite shows has be axed, this is one of those instances where it might actually work out for the better. Fox seems to give up on their comic book properties pretty quickly (just ask Lucifer fans), and likely wouldn't have continued the show much longer anyway. The only possible speed bump is the question that many Marvel fans want to know the answer to: what are Disney's plans for the X-Men? That answer could determine the fate of The Gifted more than anything else.
What would you like to see happen with The Gifted?