A wave of brutal cancellations

The weekend was dominated by a number of cancellations.

Unquestionably the biggest was the murder of The Midnight Club by Netflix after just the one season. It was the latest show from Mike Flanagan and adapted from a YA Christopher Pike book. It debuted in October, with Flanagan directing just two of the episodes.

Over the weekend it was also revealed that Flanagan's production company Intrepid Pictures has signed an exclusive deal with Amazon Prime Video. It is a blow for Netflix as Flanagan's horror shows have been among the buzziest for the streamer over the past few years - among his series: Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and The Haunting of Hill House.

He still has one series filmed for Netflix awaiting release: The Fall of The House of Usher.

Also canned over the weekend was HBO Max comedy Los Espookys, killed off after just two seasons.

As AMC reorientates itself to face a new financial reality, it has just cancelled the previously renewed for a second season sci-fi drama Moonhaven.

Disney unveils its latest de-ageing technology.

Meet FRAN, an artificial intelligence tool that Disney are using to de-age actors on screen within minutes.

The tool has some limitations in that it can't gray hair or manipulate the ageing of people to/from a very young age. So, some VFX work is still needed. But based on this video, it's pretty impressive.

RIP Al Strobel from Twin Peaks. Read: Dark Horizons
RIP Brad William Henke. You've seen him in so many shows over the years, notably Orange Is The New Black and Lost. I liked him from an early 2000s show called Welcome To California. He was 56. Read: CNN
RIP TikTok star Noodle The Pug, aged 14. Read: BBC
The Mandalorian will be back for season 3 on 1 March 2023. Read: Next TV
Michael Gandolfini has joined the cast of Daredevil: Born Again. Read: TV Line
Apple TV+ has renewed Surface for a second season. Read: Dark Horizons