One of Sky Max’s Best Sci-Fi Series Meets a Surprising Fate

It has been over half a year since The Lazarus Project season 2 premiered, raising curiosity about whether there will be a third season.

The Lazarus Project is a sci-fi series created by Joe Barton. It follows George (Paapa Essiedu), a man who finds himself in a Groundhog Day situation as he keeps coming back to July 1, 2022, and reliving the day repeatedly. Soon, the Lazarus Project finds him, revealing he has an extremely rare genetic mutation that allows him to recognize when the timeline is reset, whereas everyone else remains unaware they are in a loop when July 1st starts over again. The organization resets the timeline back to the most recent July 1st every time an apocalyptic threat arises. Meanwhile, George’s ability to remember the resets naturally makes him an important asset to the Lazarus Project.

Season 2 of The Lazarus Project ramped up the time loop and time-traveling concepts as a second time-reversal machine is established by a rival country, which accidentally creates a dangerous self-triggering time loop every three weeks. The show has received praise from viewers for its strong characters and complex, ambitious sci-fi premise, raising excitement for its future.

Is The Lazarus Project renewed for season 3?

Unfortunately, The Lazarus Project has not been renewed for season 3. The show was canceled just a few months after season 2’s premiere. Its cancellation was perplexing, considering its network, Sky Max, acknowledged its stellar performance. The series became the network’s second-biggest scripted series and even secured a BAFTA nomination. Sky provided no reason for the cancelation, simply stating:

The Lazarus Project has brought audiences jaw dropping action and time-bending storylines across two seasons, and we are incredibly proud of this BAFTA-winning series. Whilst we won’t be commissioning another season, we would like to thank the incredible team who made this show possible.

Before the cancellation, there was evidence that the project was planning to continue. After all, season 2 ended on a massive cliffhanger when it was revealed the Lazarus Project had a surprising new leader. Barton also expressed disappointment that the show was canceled. However, ahead of the cancelation, rumors were swirling that Barton planned to reduce his role for the next season and hire a team of writers instead of penning the scripts himself. He is also still working with Sky Max on the upcoming series Amadeus. It’s unclear whether his schedule and alleged interest in reducing his role in season 3 played into The Lazarus Project‘s cancelation.

Like numerous other shows canceled after just one or two seasons, viewership or budget likely played a role in The Lazarus Project‘s axing. Despite the show’s popularity, there have been no talks about it moving to another network, raising the likelihood that the sci-fi series has concluded for good.