The Syfy psychological thriller series Nightflyers has been canceled after one season. The show was based on a novella penned by author George R.R. Martin (best known for his international sensation Game of Thrones) and only ran for a brief ten episodes.
Starring Eoin Macken, David Ajala and Maya Eshet, Nightflyers is set in the distant year of 2093 and follows a group of scientists in their endeavor to find and befriend alien-life forms. In a fashion similar to other science fiction thrillers such as The Thing and Dark Matter, chaos ensues when the crew of the ship dubbed Nightflyer begin to turn on each other in a series of violent events when they realize they aren’t alone.
Related: 10 Best Sci-Fi Shows On Hulu
While the original concept of Nightflyers was written by Martin, the 2017 Syfy series was actually based on the feature film released in 1987 with the movie tagline reading hauntingly: Where they’re headed isn’t the mystery. What’s taking them there is. A rep from Syfy confirmed Nightflyers’ cancellation to Deadline, and the low ratings drawn by the series is considered the primary reason for its early end.
![George R.R. Martin’s Nightflyers Canceled After One Season At Syfy](https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/nightflyers-logo-syfy.jpg)
The series showed strong promise as not only was Martin’s name attached, but Nightflyers was written and executive produced by thriller genre powerhouses, including Jeff Buhler (Pet Sematary) Gene Klein (Suits) and Brian Nelson (30 Days of Night). Even though Syfy originally developed the show with the hopes of longevity, it was decided the story was best left kept in the fashion of a mini-series, after it failed to take off as hoped. Members of the cast have already moved on to other gigs, with lead star David Ajala being cast in CBS pilot Under the Bridge. Unfortunately for fans, season 1’s huge ending cliffhanger will now never be resolved.
It seems like sci-fi shows often have a harder time staying on the air than those of different genres. Many still mourn taken too soon sci-fi shows such as Dollhouse, Firefly and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. As Nightflyers says farewell after one season fans, may find comfort in the fact that as this point in time a lot of shows are being rebooted and revived. As those aboard Nightflyer (the most advanced ship ever built) declared, you can’t escape what’s inside. Those still interested in checking out Nightflyers’ short one season, 10-episode run can currently do so via Netflix – provided they live outside North America – as the streaming giant co-produced and distributed the series internationally.