It has been a few months since Salvation's second installment finished airing. Flash forward to now, and CBS has made a decision about its fate. Unfortunately for the drama, the network has offered the sci-fi drama no "salvation."
The series' run is over. The Eye Network has decided not to renew Salvation for Season 3, per The Wrap. Therefore, making its second installment, its last. Premiering in the summer of 2017, both of Salvation's seasons started their 13-episode stints in the mid-summer. Both installments finished their runs in late September.
As always, the reason behind the decision could have been ratings-related. In its second season, the sci-drama pulled an average of 3.7 million viewers. By fall or midseason standards, those numbers are not great for the popular network. However, summer ratings traditionally herald different expectations. Airing in the summer should have provided it with a certain amount of cushion.
Salvation was one of those summer series that flew below the radar during its initial run. Time will tell if a streaming service ends up offering it a second chance. For those who need a refresher on the plot, Salvation centered on a more or less pre-apocalyptic story.
The sci-fi drama followed the aftermath of a terrible discovery -- an asteroid hurdling towards Earth. Following the finding, Earth had just six months to prepare. While the looming disaster was kept a secret from the world in Season 1, the second season saw the truth exposed.
The dark storyline of an impending disaster is not an untested concept. The 1998 disaster film Deep Impact centered a similar premise. As did 2012's Steve Carell, Keira Knightley starrer Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Television has not seen it as prevalently explored.
While those movies focused on a more inevitable doom, Salvation did include its share of hope. Hence the title as people banded together in the hopes of salvation. The series starred Big Little Lies and The Musketeers' Santiago Cabrera, Vanity Fair's Charlie Rowe, and Tyrant's Jennifer Finnigan.
Salvation finished its second season alongside Elementary's sixth season finale. The latter series has been renewed for a seventh season. Salvation's second season and now series finale served as the lead-in to the popular detective drama.
In the report, there is no mention of whether Salvation's creators will attempt to find it a new home. Several cancelled series have had success after getting the ax from their home networks. It is slightly surprising CBS would not be interested in transitioning the show to its streaming service.
It is worth noting that Salvation had something in common with CBS All-Access' Star Trek: Discovery. No, it is not the two having to deal with space. Alex Kurtzman was an executive producer on Salvation. As of Season 2, he is the new showrunner for Star Trek: Discovery.
In light of its cancellation, you can take Salvation off your watchlist. Thankfully, lots of series are premiering this fall and throughout the midseason to keep your mind off of it.
