AMC has officially announced that Demascus, an upcoming sci-fi series starring Okieriete Onaodowan in the lead role, has become the latest show on a long list of cancelled programs across not only AMC, but also several other streaming platforms. Demascus, which has finished production, was reportedly cut because of an AMC campaign to save the platform $400M because of tax write-offs.
Demascus, which was first announced in February 2022, was meant to be a half-hour limited series starring Hamilton alum Okieriete Onaodowan as the titular Demascus, a 33-year-old Black man who embarks on a “journey of self-discovery using an innovative new technology that allows him to experience different versions of his own life,” per Variety. Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Reunion) was slated to star as Dr. Bonneville, the eccentric psychologist at the head of the reality-bending technology; Caleb Eberhardt (Judas and the Black Messiah) was set to appear as Redd, Demascus’s best friend; Shakira Ja’nai Paye (The Gambler) was meant to star as Naomi a performer who catches Demascus’s eye and becomes his biggest “what if?” Before it was cancelled, Demascus was produced by Mark Johnson, known for AMC’s Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
Why Did AMC Cancel ‘Demascus’?
Demascus joins Invitation to a Bonfire and the second seasons of Moonhaven and 61st Street on AMC’s “axed shows” list, per Deadline. Show cancellations are hardly uncommon these days, with platforms like Hulu, HBO Max, and Netflix ending shows left and right, all in the name of “cost-effectiveness”, but AMC’s reasoning goes one step further to announce that they were working to save over 400 million dollars, as of December 2022. In a cost breakdown, Variety reports that the platform’s estimated goal of $475 million in write-downs includes $400 million for “strategic programming assessments” and $75 million for “organizational restructuring costs”.
Just before this cost-cutting announcement, AMC Networks CEO Christina Spade left the company after three months in the role, leading to James L. Dolan being named interim executive chairman in her stead. It’s currently unclear what the connection is between Spade’s sudden absence and AMC’s latest wave of cancellations if there is such a connection, but both will likely lead to a rocky future for AMC and its customers.
