A one-season sci-fi series has been cancelled by Apple TV+ despite its promising cliffhanger ending. For the past couple of months, there have been relatively few major renewals and cancellations. But with the year rushing to a close, streamers have also been in a sprint to announce some last-minute decisions.
Just this week, FX cancelled the Jeff Bridges action thriller series The Old Man, which did not quite capture the same attention as its buzzy first season after an extended break between episodes. Although it had long been presumed dead, after failing to make a splash with subscribers, Netflix made it official and axed Girls5eva after three seasons. It's not all bad news, with Hulu picking up Tell Me Lies for another run after the young adult adaption grew its audience. However, for one sci-fi standout, it's the end of the road.
Apple TV+ Has Cancelled Sunny After One Season
The Series Hailed From A24
The Sunny cast also includes Hidetoshi Nishijima, Joanna Sotomura, Judy Ongg, YOU, annie the clumsy, and Jun Kunimura. It's executive produced by Robbins, via Babka Pictures, along with A24, Jones, and director Lucy Tcherniak.
10 Movies & TV Shows To Watch If You Like Apple TV+'s Sunny
Sunny wrapped up its first season in style, but fans will be looking for other interesting sci-fi mysteries that examine artificial intelligence.
The ending of Sunny season 1 suggests that there's a lot that won't be explored and the questions around what happened to Suzie's husband in particular aren't resolved.
What This Ending Means For Sunny
The Sci-Fi Adaptation Had A Promising Start
At the time of its release, in July, Sunny was Apple TV+'s highest-rated sci-fi show of the year on Rotten Tomatoes. That has since been supplanted by Silo season 2, which is impressing both audiences and critics. But it's fair to say that the Dark Manual adaptation did not capture the attention of Apple TV+ subscribers enough to warrant a second look.
The Show |
Critics Score (in July 2024) |
Audience Score (in July 2024) |
|---|---|---|
Sunny |
91% |
86% |
Dark Matter |
82% |
82% |
Sugar |
82% |
78% |
Constellation |
71% |
63% |
The Big Door Prize season 2 |
81% |
77% |
Perhaps a hint of the show's fate could be gleaned in the reaction to the season overall. Based on 61 reviews, it still rates strongly with critics, having a relatively large sample size of reviews for a TV show. However, the audience rating has slipped to 66%. It could be a sign that, despite the intriguing premise and a game performance from Jones, Sunny wasn't able to build on the potential it demonstrated at the start of its now single-season run.
How Do Apple TV+'s Renewals & Cancellations Stack Up For 2024?
They Are One Of The Better Streaming Services
For a relatively newer streaming series, which has only relied on its originals, without a library of licensed movies and series, Apple TV+ does have a few marquee dramas. For All Mankind and The Morning Show are both returning for new seasons, their fifth and fourth, respectively, while the spy dramedy Slow Horses is renewed up to season 6. The platform also paved the roap for the dystopian Rebecca Ferguson series Silo, announcing that it would end with season 4.
The numbers have to be taken in context since the streamer releases relatively fewer shows compared to Netflix and so much of what they release qualifies as limited series that tell a complete story without needing to return for season 2.
That raises the question of how many shows Apple TV+ renewed this year versus how many it cancelled. Setting aside the star-driven limited series, such as Lady in the Lake and Disclaimer, the streamer has renewed 17 shows so far in 2024. They vary from comedies like the Maya Rudolph-led Loot and Acapulco to sci-fi titles such as Invasion and crime dramas such as Jennifer Garner's The Last Thing He Told Me and Idris Elba's Hijack. The list of shows cancelled in 2024, with only a few days to go, is significantly smaller.
The 25 Best TV Shows On Apple TV+ Right Now (April 2025)
From comedies including Ted Lasso and Mythic Quest to dramas including Severance, there are many great TV shows available to binge-watch on Apple TV+.
Apple TV+ has cancelled six of its shows in 2024. They include Sunny, Time Bandits, Still Up, The Big Door Prize, Schmigadoon!, and Constellation. The numbers have to be taken in context since the streamer releases relatively fewer shows compared to Netflix and so much of what they release qualifies as limited series that tell a complete story without needing to return for season 2. But it still maintains the reputation of allowing its originals the room to conclude on their own , which does make the decision around Sunny a lot more noteworthy.
Source: TVLine
Sunny
- Release Date
- 2024 - 2024-00-00
- Showrunner
- Katie Robbins
- Directors
- Lucy Tcherniak
Cast
Hidetoshi Nishijima
WHERE TO WATCH
Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, grapples with the mysterious disappearance of her husband and son in a plane crash. Given a domestic robot named Sunny by her husband’s company, Suzie initially resents Sunny but soon they form a unique bond. Together, they uncover the dark truth behind her family's disappearance, becoming entangled in a dangerous and hidden world.
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