Renewals, cancellations, and pick-ups are flying left and right these days as the networks figure out their 2017-2018 slates. Something less frequent, but not unheard of, is a series hopping from one network to the next. Last year “Supergirl” did this as it moved from CBS to the partially CBS-owned The CW. This year, one series making a similar leap is “The Shannara Chronicles“. It was today that the fantasy drama will relocate from MTV to Spike TV for its second season. Both networks are owned by Viacom, making this an in-house transfer.
“The Shannara Chronicles” is based on the novels by Terry Brooks. Its exit from MTV is the latest in a long line of scripted shows ending (“Teen Wolf“) or being canceled (“Sweet/Vicious“) on the network. As of now, only “Scream” remains and it is currently being overhauled for its impending third season.
This move doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. MTV is now moving away from scripted shows, instead opting for more reality-based programming again. Furthermore, they are wanting to divert their attention back towards youth culture. Given that the demographics for “The Shannara Chronicles” were skewing towards viewers over 30, the move makes sense. The series no longer fits MTV’s current model, but is popular enough that there’s no need to cancel it. Spike TV will rerun the entire first season ahead of the show’s second season premiere this fall, which will be paired with Spike’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Mist“.
