Ben Edlund’s The Tick was canceled by Amazon a few weeks after the second season was released, but why? The Tick is a monster superhero created by cartoonist Ben Edlund in 1986, which started as a newsletter mascot and became so popular that it was turned into an independent comic book series in 1988. It was adapted into an animated TV series in 1994 and got its first live-action version in 2001, with Patrick Warburton as the titular character, before Amazon rebooted it in 2016 with Peter Serafinowicz in the lead role.
The Tick was canceled after just two seasons.
The first season of The Tick was split into three parts: the pilot premiered on August 18, 2016, a “half-season” of five episodes was released on August 25, 2017, and the final six episodes of the season saw the light on February 23, 2018. Amazon ordered a second season, which premiered on April 5, 2019. Six weeks later, Amazon decided to cancel the series. A reason for it was never revealed, but it most likely had to do with viewership. Like many other streaming services, Amazon Video doesn’t make ratings public, but given the positive reception it had, everything points at viewing figures being the reason for The Tick’s cancelation.
Although the series built a loyal fanbase, it probably wasn’t as big as DC tend to take them more seriously. Edlund did his best to try to find a new home for The Tick, but in June 2019 he revealed on his Twitter that the search was unsuccessful, and with the actors’ contracts expiring soon, the series was officially over.
Edlund also shared they will continue looking for other opportunities for the Tick and company, but the series as it was had met its end. The Tick hasn’t had good luck with its adaptations, as they have all been short-lived, but hopefully it will find a good home in the near future and will get more than just a couple of episodes.