EXCLUSIVE: Two YA drama series come to an end at Peacock.
The NBCU streamer has canceled One of us is lying and Vampire Academy.
One of us is lying ran for two seasons, while Vampire Academy, directed by Julie Plec, ended after one.
Deadline posits that Peacock executives were creatively happy with both shows, but they just couldn’t find the audience they needed to warrant more seasons.
One of us is lying, based on the novel by Karen M. McManus, launched in October 2021 and was the first Peacock pilot to go into production. It was renewed earlier this year for a second season, which aired in October 2022.
Vampire Academy was ordered directly in series in May 2021 and premiered in September 2022.
Both shows are from Universal Studio Group.
One of us is lying, from UCP, follows what happens when five high school students go to jail and only four make it out alive. Everyone is a suspect and everyone has something to hide.
Starring Annalisa Cochrane (Addy), Chibuikem Uche (Cooper), Marianly Tejada (Bronwyn), Cooper van Grootel (Nate), Barrett Carnahan (Jake), Mark McKenna (Simon), Melissa Collazo (Maeve) and Jessica McLeod (Janae) . .
The first season solved the mystery of Simon’s death and the second season picks up after the season one finale rather than following McManus’ sequel novel One of Us Is Next, set a year later.
Erica Saleh, who adapted the novel and wrote the pilot script for the series, took over as showrunner for the second season, replacing Elite co-creator Darío Madrona, who will remain on the series as executive producer. The series is also produced by John Sacchi and Matt Groesch of 5 More Minutes Productions, who developed the pilot, along with Executive Producers Saleh, Jan Oxenberg, Molly Nussbaum and Bill Johnson.
The show will air exclusively on Netflix in a number of international markets including the UK, India, South Korea, Brazil and Japan.
UCP is exploring other options for continuing the series.
Vampire Academy was written by Julie Plec and Marguerite MacIntyre and is based on the book series by Richelle Mead.
Written by MacIntyre, Vampire Academy Set in a world of privilege and glamor, two young women’s friendship extends beyond their strikingly different classes as they prepare to complete their education and enter the vampire royal community. This series-ready and sexy drama combines the elegance of aristocratic romance with the supernatural thrills of the vampire genre.
The cast includes Sisi Stringer, Daniela Nieves, Kieron Moore, Andre Dae Kim, J. August Richards, Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Mia Mckenna-Bruce, Rhian Blundell, Jonetta Kaiser and Andrew Liner.
Plec and MacIntyre are executive producers on the Peacock series along with Emily Cummins, Don Murphy, Susan Montford, Deepak Nayar and Jillian DeFrehn. Bille Woodruff directs the pilot. Other directors of the series are Plec, Luis Prieto, Jesse Warn, Erica Dunton and Geoff Shotz.
Vampire Academyis produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. It has also done well internationally, selling in more than 100 territories around the world. Similarly, the studio is exploring other options for the show to continue.
The cancellations don’t come as a huge surprise and come as the streamer moves into its next phase of development.
Peacock is having a hot month with the launch of Best man which is believed to have done well for the network and Rian Johnson’s case of the week mystery series poker face starring Natasha Lyonne. It also launched the delightfully odd series Paul T Goldman.
Plec is already developing her next project at Peacock. she and she Vampire AcademyCo-Executive Producer Adam Starks set up baron a mystery drama series set in a small, quaint Georgia town, at the streamer after the NBCU streamer won the project in a contest.
The streamer also recently ordered a contemporary horror thriller based on Robert McCammon spikeby writer Ian McCulloch (yellowstone ), James Wan from Atomic Monster (The incantation Universe) and UCP, has other upcoming titles such as Based on a true story with Kaley Cuoco and Mrs Davisby Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez.