Paramount+ Cancels 'Star Trek: Prodigy', 'Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies', 'The Game' And 'Queen Of The Universe' With Intent To Remove

Cast and crew members have already spoken out at the devastation

Paramount+ is no longer going to be the home of everything Star Trek, as they have so touted. The streamer has canceled the original series Star Trek: Prodigy, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Queen of the Universe, and The Game. The shows will be removed from the platform by the end of the month as it becomes the latest to take a content write-down.

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies has been canceled after one season, The Game has been canceled after two seasons and Graham Norton-hosted reality series Queen of the Universe  is done after two seasons. Prodigy will complete post-production on Season 2, which was ordered in 2021. It was Star Trek's first animated kids show since the '70s animated series that continued The Original Series.

According to someone with knowledge of the removals, the decision was data-driven,  As with most streamers however, Paramount did not share any specific data that highlighted why these actions are being taken. It is the latest example, however, of studio streamers removing their own content from their platforms. Warner Bros. Discovery was the first to pull such a move last August, with over 36 titles removed from what was then HBO Max, plus several more that either didn't make it to Max or were removed in its earliest days, like Clarence, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and the last three original continuity Ben 10 series. Disney+ and Hulu did theirs at the end of last month, with around 50 titles between the two services, in this case being more originals than Max did. This isn't even Paramount+'s first round, having removed Coyote, No Activity, Guilty Party, The Harper House, The Real World: Homecoming, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, and The Twilight Zone in February.

According to an insider, similar to Batman: Caped Crusader being intended to be shared with Cartoon Network's ACME Night when it was ordered by HBO Max but is now being cut off after being picked up by Amazon Prime Video, Star Trek: Prodigy will not be returning to Nickelodeon, where it had gotten linear airings during season 1. All three scripted shows will be shopped to other outlets by their respective studios: Prodigy and The Game by CBS Studios and Grease by Paramount Television Studios.

Developed by Kevin and Dan Hageman and produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios and CBS Studios, the CG-animated series Star Trek: Prodigy featured a motley crew of young aliens who must figure out how to work together while navigating a greater galaxy, in search of a better future. These six young outcasts know nothing about the ship they have commandeered but over the course of their adventures together, they will each be introduced to Starfleet and the ideals it represents. Prodigy will be the only Star Trek series to not live on the service, with a commitment to the remaining ongoing and future projects in the franchise upheld, including the Section 31 film and Starfleet Academy series.

The series cast consists of Kate Mulgrew as Hologram Kathryn Janeway, Brett Gray as Dal, Ella Purnell as Gwyn, Rylee Alazraqui as Rok-Tahk, Jason Mantzoukas as Jankom Pog, Angus Imrie as Zero,  Dee Bradley Baker as Murf, Jimmi Simpson as Drednok and John Noble as the villainous The Diviner.

The Game will be looking for its fourth home, following its original run on The CW from 2006 to 2009 and BET from 2011 to 2015. Its Paramount+ revival premiered in November 2021 and the second season launched in December 2022. It centers on black culture through a pro football lens, moving from San Diego to Las Vegas. The Las Vegas-based team tackled a number of social issues and more as they fight for fame, fortune, respect, and love while trying to stay true to who they are.

Queen of the Universe was a drag singing competition series hosted by Graham Norton, coming from World of Wonder, the production company of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise. It featured judges including Leona Lewis, Trixie Mattel, Michelle Visage, Vanessa Williams, and Mel B with contestants competing for a cash prize of $250,000. The final four episodes debuted on June 22, just the day before this announcement.

Prodigy creators Kevin and Dan Hageman, executive producer Aaron Watke, Rise of the Pink Ladies creator Annabel Oakes, and star Ari Notartomaso have all spoken out about the fates of their shows, with the former more hopeful as they all mourn.

The Hageman brothers stated, "#StarTrek has taught my brother and me to strive for a better future. While news of #StarTrekProdigy not returning to Paramount+ is disappointing. We have faith this show will be picked up by a new home to help grow our fervent fanbase and inspire the next generation of Star Trek fans. Our talented and passionate team of artists are working tirelessly to complete S2. And we are staying positive and hopeful that our amazing fans will get to see it soon! Janeway would never give up, so why would we? Let’s follow her orders and ‘Go Boldly.'"

Watke didn't have much to say about it due to the limbo-y circumstances and instead chose to shed extra light on the fact that season 2 work is continuing and that the series will be shopped. He was also very assuring that “Everyone on the cast and crew loves Star Trek: Prodigy deeply.”

Meanwhile, Oakes is justifiably angry and fearful. The series aired its last episode on June 1. In her Instagram stories, Oakes apologized that the cancellation was true, and lamented the brutality of the impending removal, continuing “Unless it finds a new home you will no longer be able to watch it anywhere. The cast, my creative partners, and I are all devastated at the complete erasure of our show.”

She showed gratitude to the “beautiful” fans, assuring them that “the music will remain even after the show is taken down.", loves the messages and videos she's been sent, and encourages everyone to watch until it goes. Notartomaso, who played Pink Lady Cynthia "Cyn" Zdunowski, also mourned the loss on her socials. “I have cried all day knowing that we got to make something that made us and so many people watching feel seen and represented, and, at the same time, that this is yet another show added to the list of diverse casts and sapphic main characters that were pulled after a first season, but it happened, and we’re here, and I love you all so much. We may not have more Cynthia, but you’ll always have me. (I promise you I’ll be auditioning for every little butch they let me till the day I die).”

All four shows are expected to be removed at the end of the month, June 30, and there are rumblings that these are just the highest-profile for this round and more will come.

Sources: Deadline, Variety, TVLine (1, 2), Aaron Watke on Twitter, Dan and Kevin Hageman on Twitter