What went wrong? Episode 5: the old world order
There have been a lot of prematurely cancelled series over the years but most of them are not executive produced by one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Premiering September 26, 2011, terra nova seemed like it had such a promising future. Executive produced by none other than Stephen Spielberg & starring Jason O’Mara, the series set in 2149 finds a world that has long since been ravaged by the horrors of war, overpopulation & pollution causing the earth to no longer be habitable. As such, science has had to step in & create a time travel device to transport humanity to a simpler time (more specifically the cretaceous period; the year itself is never specified; all we know definitively is it’s 85 million years prior to the modern day). The series predominantly focuses on the shannon family led by Jim (O’Mara) and Elizabeth (Alana Mansour) as they struggle to adapt to living in the past & keep any potential threats to the new colony at bay, both human & dinosaur.
Premiering as part of fox’s fall lineup, it went on to be one of their most critically acclaimed series to date with many reviews praising the sets, the performances & visual effects. Even beyond that, the fact that they shot on location in Queensland has also earned them a reputation as one of the most aesthetically-pleasing shows in TV history. So where did it all go wrong for the series that had so much promise & potential? Why was it cancelled?
Well, the series boasted solid ratings throughout its run & even became the #2 new drama for adults 18–49 but as much as we all love seeing dinosaurs on our screens, anyone who’s ever had to make them will tell you they’re not cheap. Once the first season came to a close, the network didn’t think the high production costs justified the return on investment they were receiving so it was promptly given the axe. The sad part is if they had just debuted a few years later, the vfx technology would’ve caught up with the budget & it probably would’ve gone on to see many years of success. Ironically, it seems the series was in fact ahead of its time.
In any case, the series has gone on to garner a cult following in recent years as the fans have petitioned netflix, disney+ & other platforms to give the series another chance. Whether that would come to fruition at this point is doubtful to say the least but I love seeing that dedication & commitment to saving the content they love. If you are of the same mind, you can sign the petition to join the cause: https://www.change.org/p/disney-bring-back-terra-nova-for-a-second-season. Interestingly enough, the series did in fact enter negotiations with netflix to try & get a second season but unfortunately, those talks seem to have fallen apart in recent years. But they did create a website where the fans could create their own motion comic to continue the story of terra nova & I guess write their own ending to the story. However, that site is no longer active.
What (if anything) is next for the series is difficult to predict but seeing the fan response to the series has been nothing if not heartening. It’s clear the series has such a passionate fanbase & I just hate the feeling of knowing they’ll probably never get an ending to this series (at least not a proper one). But even if we never get an official finale, the series will still live on in the hearts & minds of every fan in existence & at the end of the day, that makes it all worthwhile.