Someone is going to have to come up with another reason for Chiwetel Ejiofor to regularly appear on our small screens, as Showtime has decided not to renew The Man Who Fell to Earth for a second season.
Reportedly, showrunners Alex Kurtzman and Jenny Lumet (who both wear many hats in the Star Trek universe) originally intended the show to be a one-season limited series, but briefly considered extending it. In a statement given to The Hollywood Reporter, a Showtime rep said:
“Our thanks to the extraordinary Alex Kurtzman, Jenny Lumet, John Hlavin and Sarah Timberman who did a great job of turning the David Bowie film into such a resonant tale for our times,. And kudos to a wondrous cast led by Chiwetel Ejiofor, Naomie Harris and Bill Nighy for bringing it to life. Alex and Jenny originally intended The Man Who Fell To Earth to be a close-ended story. While we flirted with the idea of expanding it into a second season, we all ultimately decided to embrace it as a one season story well told.”
The Man Who Fell to Earth was inspired by both the 1976 David Bowie movie of the same title, and the original 1963 novel by Walter Tevis. Ejiofor played an alien summoned to our planet by Thomas Newton (Nighy, in the role originated by Bowie). According to the show’s summary, he “arrives on Earth at a turning point in human evolution and must confront his own past to determine our future.”
The Hollywood Reporter points out that the decision not to continue the series was made before a recent change in leadership at Showtime’s parent company, Paramount Global—but also notes that for the new man in charge, Chris McCarthy, “premium scripted fare has not been a focus.”
You can still watch The Man Who Fell to Earth on Showtime.
