AMC drops ‘Pantheon’, despite completed second season, as cuts continue

Pantheon

AMC Networks has cancelled adult animated sci-fi series Pantheon, as the US firm continues to target programming as part of its cost-cutting efforts.

The series was dropped despite a two-season order for streaming service AMC+ with the second season not expected to air even though it has already been produced.

Pantheon is the latest series to receive the chop from AMC, following the cancellations of titles including Demascus, 61^st Street and Moonhaven. The series was created by Craig Silverstein and based on stories written by Ken Liu. It is understood that AMC Studios hopes to sell Pantheon elsewhere, as with some of the other cancelled shows.

AMC revealed in late November that it was seeking to cut around a fifth of its US workforce and implement “significant cutbacks in operations”, with CEO Christina Spade also stepping down after just three months. James L Dolan was subsequently named as interim executive chairman until a replacement is found.

The company, which operates flagship AMC network and Sundance TV, as well as Acorn TV, said that the cuts were required because the industry is “under pressure from growing subscriber losses.”

Soon after, it was revealed that AMC Networks expects to face restructuring costs of between $350m and $475m as it seeks to turn the company around, while further senior exits followed in early December, including head of unscripted, Marco Bresaz, David Stefanou, SVP of originals & development for WE tv, and Rafael Ruthchild, VP of scripted for AMC and Sundance.