Last Year’s Best New Animated Series Is Coming to Netflix

In the files of “Things that Sound Like Bad News But Are Actually Good in a Way,” a stylish eco-horror series has reportedly been canceled on Max and is making the move to Netflix. No, I’m not talking about The Last of Us. I’m talking about Scavengers Reign, an animated series that debuted on Max last year.

If you haven’t heard of Scavengers Reign, it’s not your fault. After its October 2023 release, the series largely flew under the radar. Scavengers Reign tells the story of the crew of the Demeter, a ship that crashes on the alien planet Vesta. After being jettisoned in escape pods and landing in various places around the planet, the survivors start to make their way toward the ship’s landing site so that they can wake up their cryogenically frozen crew mates, re-launch the Demeter, and go home.

What they don’t realize, though, is that the flora and fauna of Vesta wants nothing more than to devour them and change them into something unrecognizable. As I mentioned in my review of the series, Scavengers Reign combines elements of Annihilation, Akira, and Alien.

Now, Variety reports that Max has canceled the series and Netflix has picked it up. Here’s the twist, though: Netflix’s deal is non-exclusive, so the series will continue to stream on Max. Not only that, but Netflix hasn’t ruled out the possibility of renewing Scavengers Reign for a second season.

Scavengers Reign‘s producers Joseph Bennett, Sean Buckelew, James Merrill, and Benjy Brooke expressed gratitude that Netflix has picked up the show. “We are beyond thrilled that ‘Scavengers Reign’ will be joining the incredible animation lineup on Netflix,” the four told Variety via Greenstreet Pictures. “We’re immensely grateful to everyone who has watched the show already and to Netflix for giving it an opportunity to be discovered by a wider audience.”

Scavengers Reign begins streaming on Netflix on May 31.

(via Variety)