It took more than five years to move Y: The Last Man from development to screen, and less than five weeks for the network to cancel it.
FX acquired the rights to Brian K. Vaughan’s successful comic series back in 2015. The adaptation officially landed a TV series order in 2018. After a couple years of work and creative changes, (and pandemic delays), Y: The Last Man finally premiered September 13, 2021.
And then news of the show’s cancellation circulated on October 17.
From the start, the project had proved difficult to get off the ground. Prior to FX nabbing the rights to the IP in 2015, the franchise had been tied up in perpetual development by New Line. Even after FX committed to a Y: The Last Man series, creative differences plagued the production; FX hired Michael Green and Aida Croal as showrunners, but both departed in April 2019.
Eliza Clark succeeded the pair at the helm of the series. Following the announcement that Y would not continue at FX, Clark posted on social media about her commitment to the show.
“I have never in my life been more committed to a story, and there is so much more left to tell,” reads Clark’s post in part. “It is the most collaborative, creatively fulfilling, and beautiful thing I have ever been a part of. We don’t want it to end.”
She further expressed plans to shop the series elsewhere, looking for a new home for season 2.
“We know someone else is going to be very lucky to have this team and this story… We are committed to finding Y its next home,” continued Clark.
You can see Clark’s full post below.
Y: The Last Man follows escape artist Yorick Brown, who happens to be the last living cisgender man on Earth following a mysterious plague that wiped out the male chromosome. The series stars Ben Schnetzer, Diane Lane, Amber Tamblyn, and Ashley Romans, among others.
The first season finale—and series finale, if the show doesn’t find a new home—airs November 1.
Source: Hollywood Reporter
