'Happy,' 'Deadly Class' Canceled at Syfy

[Ulquiorra]

Both dramas will be shopped by Universal Content Productions and Sony TV, respectively. 

Syfy is cleaning house.

The NBCUniversal-owned cable network has canceled the dramas Happy (after two seasons) and Deadly Class (after one season). The decisions come as options on the casts of both shows were up at the end of the month. Both series will be shopped by their respective studios.

Sources say Happy, produced by Universal Content Productions, had a lot of fans in-house and the cancellation was a tough decision to make, but the show's ratings made bringing it back impossible. The drama, insiders note, already has a streaming deal with Netflix. The Christopher Meloni-led series about an ex-cop turned hitman who has an imaginary blue-winged horse (voiced by Patton Oswalt) has seen its first season perform well on the streamer, sources say. Happy is said to be the streamer's top performing second-window drama — outside of You — with key male demos and teens. 

The series is based on the comic of the same name by Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson. Morrison and Brian Taylor adapted the project; Patrick Macmanus serves as showrunner.

Deadly Class, meanwhile, was based on the Image Comics graphic novel of the same name. The series follows a homeless teen recruited to a private school where the world's top crime families send their next generations. The drama, starring Benedict Wong and To All the Boys I've Loved Before breakout Lana Condor, was a co-production between UCP and Sony TV. The ownership structure further complicated a renewal, given the show's lackluster ratings performance. Sony TV also never sold the backend of Deadly Class, meaning there wasn't a streaming deal in place to help offset the costs of the series. The show, which counted Avengers: Endgame duo Joe and Anthony Russo as executive producers, also replaced showrunners ahead of its debut after creative differences with Adam Targum. (Mick Betancourt replaced him.)

Syfy, meanwhile, has a strong development slate with new series including Resident Alien and pilots (Future) Cult Classic and Cipher, as well as scripts for a Chucky reboot, joining the dramas The Woods, Night Gallery, Waywood Children, The Raven Cycle and Death Is My BF, with more to be announced soon. Syfy's scripted series roster includes Krypton, Killjoys, Van Helsing and The Magicians, with the future of cult favorite Wynonna Earp up in the air as producers IDW looks for funding to produce the previously announced season. 

Happy and Deadly Class join other recent Syfy cancellations that include Nightflyers, Channel Zero and the final season of Killjoys, airing this summer.