‘Pennyworth’ Cancelled
by Erik Amaya
Alfie’s (Jack Bannon) road to becoming Batman’s butler has come to an end.
Deadline reports the HBO Max series (previously an Epix exclusive) has been cancelled. Created by Gotham‘s Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon, the series — informally a prequel to the FOX program — focused on a young, dashing Alfred Pennyworth in the 1960s as he transitioned out of the British SAS and into private security. One of his early clients: Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge). The series also quickly revealed it took place on a variant Earth where the English Civil War occurred in the mid-20th Century instead of the 17th; Alfie, Thomas (working on behalf of the American CIA), and Martha Kane (Emma Paetz) soon found themselves at the center of the conflict. The third season centered on the characters five years after the war as they faced the coming age of superheroes.
Although the initial premise is seemingly laughable — indeed, Warner Animation’s Teen Titans Go To The Movies lampooned a Pennyworth origin story before Heller and Cannon even started developing the show — Pennyworth quickly established itself as worthy Gotham follow-up with some its predecessor’s insanity, likable leads, and an early showcase for The Crown‘s Emma Corrin.
Of course, nothing in the DC Multiverse is forever. With major changes to DC’s film and TV operation, the writing was on the wall for Pennyworth. And once HBO Max pulled the plug on Titans and Doom Patrol, it was only a matter of time before Alfie would learn his services were no longer required.
With the end of Pennyworth, the remaining DC TV shows include HBO Max’s Peacemaker and The CW programs The Flash (returning next Wednesday), Superman & Lois (returning in March), and the new series Gotham Knights (beginning in March). The Flash is already set to end with its upcoming ninth season and with all the changes at the newly dubbed DC Studios and The CW, we fully expect Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights to end this summer. Peacemaker, meanwhile, is on hold as James Gunn settles into his new position as DC Studios’ co-CEO.
But a whole new slate of DC TV shows are on the horizon: an animated Creature Commandos and the live action programs Waller, Lanterns, Paradise Lost, and Booster Gold.