"Aquarius" is cancelled after airing for two seasons due to lackluster ratings. "Aquarius" fans following Golden Globe-winner David Duchovny are surely unhappy with NBC's decision, but it looks like they have another reason to celebrate as he may join "X-Files" Season 11.
The fate of "Aquarius" was certain when the David Duchovny-starrer based on the Charles Manson murders shifted from Thursday to the dreary Saturday night. The decision of NBC was sealed when entertainment president Jennifer Salke admitted that "Aquarius" is unlikely to have a third installment.
The bleak ratings of "Aquarius" was the top reason for its demise. Season 1 closed with only a 1.05 rating, and despite the unimpressive rating, NBC renewed it for Season 2. NBC ran the show with a two-hour block ad free, but garnered only a 0.4 rating.
Despite the sad news of cancelling "Aquarius," fans of the Duchovny do not have to really feel sorry because they may still see him on the small screens. In August, Fox entertainment president David Madden confirmed that serious talks are ongoing for "X-Files" stars Duchovny, Chris Carter and Gillian Anderson for a possible Season 11.
"We would obviously love to do another season [but] schedules are hard," Madden told TVLine. "We're working hard to get this done."
If talks for "X-Files" will succeed, the cancellation of "Aquarius" would led the way for a more comfortable scheduling of the production of the Fox series. Anderson, who played FBI agent Dana Scully, confirmed in August that she had not received any invitation yet to come back for Season 11.
One of the reasons that may have led to the demise of "Aquarius," is NBC's ineffective marketing strategy. After launching "Aquarius" in the summer of 2015, NBC made the entire 12-episode available for online streaming over four weeks. It is the first time in NBC's history to stream the entire episode after the series aired its first episode, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Sadly, the news of "Aquarius" cancellation came after showrunner John McNamara announced in an interview that he is planning to see the show for six seasons. The news also followed NBC's celebration of its new series "The Good Place" and "This Is Us."
Check out Duchovny's interview about a possible "X-Files" reboot: