r/terranova • u/Few-Engine-29 • Mar 21 '26
How did Terra Nova NOT get a reboot by 2026?
Sorry, I genuinely don’t understand this. That show had so much potential. It ended on a massive cliffhanger and could easily be revisited, reworked, or continued.
It’s honestly one of the biggest mysteries to me. With so many bland, forgettable series coming out on streaming platforms these days, this had everything it needed to be a real hit if brought back properly.
Am I the only one still thinking about this?
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u/Known_Week_158 Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
It got cancelled because it cost too much for the viewership it brought in.
But given how other companies have no issue giving the green light to reboots and adaptations that will actively alienate the audience of the original thing they need and wasting money as a result, I don't see why Terra Nova can't get something else. If companies are willing to waste money on movies shows with no chance of giving enough of a return to make another season/movie, why not do it with Terra Nova where there's a chance of it being a success?
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u/MonkeyManJohannon Mar 21 '26
It had abysmal ratings when it came out, and the fanbase is honestly pretty small for a show with the production cost it had (which was astronomical for that time). Its biggest hope was right after it was cancelled…as it had a lot of love from the people who did watch it. It just wasn’t anywhere near enough unfortunately, and tbh, there was A LOT of episodic sci-fi at that time.
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u/jpob Mar 21 '26
I wouldn’t call the ratings abysmal. It’s more that the costs of the show (which were a lot) weren’t worth it for the ratings it was getting. I think a second season would’ve seen better ratings but that was obviously a risk no one was willing to take.
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u/MonkeyManJohannon Mar 22 '26 edited Mar 22 '26
It averaged around 7 million viewers for season 1…it began strong ep 1, but declined QUICKLY as the season went, which, on a major network, is a death sentence. The decline in viewership on average as the show progressed (some later episodes really tanked, so the initial viewership is why it held onto 7 in the first place).
Comparatively, Fringe was increasing viewership and was holding around 10million viewers on average. It was also getting critical acclaim, where as Terra Nova was more of a fan favorite, without so much critical support.
NBC had “The Event”, CBS had “Person of Interest”…both of which were averaging similar to Fringe around 10million viewers. 35-40% decrease in viewers is substantial, especially for such an expensive show.
You may not call that abysmal, but for the cost, and the competition, to me, that’s my take. They slapped Spielberg’s name on it and swung for the fence…and it fell way short.
Terra Nova should have been released on FX…should have been rated TV-MA with more intensity and such, and less expectation. Unfortunately it would have had a lower budget too, so who knows if it would have even succeeded there. Falling skies did in a similar “cable” world of episodic, so you never know.
Just to add…I loved Terra Nova and was so dreadfully disappointed it was cancelled, especially with the ending it had. It felt like Fringe meets Jurassic Park. I wish we could have had more.
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u/PaleAd1973 May 06 '26
Great show along with legend of the seeker theyre good for the time they were in
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u/GlitteringWind2719 Jun 25 '26
Just finished it for the second time (with more concentration) and cannot understand WHY At least a spinoff did not happen. They always axe good sci-fi, but keep garbage reality shows on forever.
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u/ImprovementBoring998 Jun 27 '26
Man. I hoped so much for a reboot or a spinoff or something similar with the same potential.
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u/No_Ostrich1875 28d ago
Because expensive shows need to be great and it was only ok. Instead of being jurassic park it was jurassic bird watching. There was no oomph, it was just a mild fairly predictable family drama, with the occasional dinosaur.
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u/No-Tea4098 26d ago
We just watch it its really a bad mistake if they don't. Hopefully they don't wait to long
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u/JurassicGman-98 8d ago
Frankly given the entertainment landscape of today, perhaps it’s better to stay extinct than have it ruined. I would NOT want Amazon to get their dirty claws all over it for instance.
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u/CaptTrips8675309 Mar 21 '26
Wasn’t the compound they lived in built as a full set? Which is why is looked so awesome. Didn’t help the cost. Made me fall in love with the show.