Explained: Why was Fantasy Island on FOX canceled?

A still from Fantasy Island (Image via FOX)
A still from Fantasy Island (Image via FOX)

Shortly after the tearful finale of Fantasy Island season 2, FOX announced its plans to drop the series before another season. The reboot and continuation of the familiar series from the 1977 series of the same name, Fantasy Island, ran for exactly 23 episodes before wrapping up for good. Thankfully, the story ended on a positive note with the final episode on May 8, 2023.

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Co-created by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, the sequel was a co-production of Sony Pictures Television and Fox Entertainment. It premiered in 2021 and drew relatively positive reactions. But as of the second season, it ranked last in total audience for any of the eight FOX dramas, including the canceled The Resident and 9-1-1, which is also moving to a different network. The show was likely discontinued for its low audience turnout and weak demo rating.

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FOX released a statement earlier to announce its decision to not continue the show.


FOX comments on Fantasy Island's cancellation

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Despite having a niche fan base that religiously followed the show, it fell short in audience count in comparison to other shows in the network's arsenal. The network released a statement shortly after the second season wrapped up to announce the cancellation.

The statement from FOX read:

"We were very pleased with Fantasy Island’s fun and escapist creative, which we had hoped would gain strong traction among viewers. Sony Pictures Television is an important partner of ours, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on ‘Accused,’ ‘Alert: Missing Persons Unit,’ ‘Doc’ and the upcoming animated series Universal Basic Guys/Hoagie Bros. We’d also like to thank Fantasy Island’s cast, led by Roselyn Sánchez, Kiara Barnes and John Gabriel Rodriquez, crew and executive producers Liz Craft, Sarah Fain and Anne Clements for their partnership on the series."
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Despite having a small cast of series regulars, the show gained very little traction in its second season, leading the network to not pursue it any further. According to sources, FOX has changed its scheduling strategies. It has opted not to order any pilots this year. Instead, it went for straight-to-series orders for several projects.


The original Fantasy Island ran from 1977 to 1984

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Fantasy Island followed Roselyn Sanchez's Elena Roarke, a grand niece of Mr. Roarke from the original series, who invites guests to the titular island to fulfill their deepest fantasies. But these fantasies often turn out to be eye-opening events and realizations. The original series, which ran from 1977 to 1984, followed the same trope.

The new series, which is also sometimes stylized as FANTASY ISLⱯND, managed to maintain the continuity of the original series quite interestingly. It could have expanded into a bigger universe if it continued.

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The series starred Roselyn Sánchez as Elena Roarke, Kiara Barnes as Ruby Akuda, and John Gabriel Rodriquez as Javier in the regular roles, alongside Daniel Lugo as Segundo, Gabriela Z. Hernández as Dr. Gina, and Alexa Mansour as Helene in recurring roles.

Apart from this, the series featured a lengthy list of renowned guest stars, including the likes of Bellamy Young, Dave Annable, Cheryl Hines, Joely Fisher, Laura Leighton, and Kyla Pratt, among many others.

Fantasy Island is still available for streaming on Hulu.

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Edited by Somava
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