1982’s “The Dark Crystal” is one of the quintessential cult classic fantasy films. Written, directed by, and starring the late Jim Henson, it was a production wholly unlike Henson’s work on “The Muppets.” Though it still made extensive use of puppetry and practical effects, it was a serious, self-contained story, a tale of a lone survivor questing for a lost crystal shard to save his world.
When word came in 2019 that this long-dormant IP was finally getting a follow-up in the form of a Netflix original series, there was quite a bit of excitement, both from the original film’s fans and those who grew up hearing about it. This series, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” was released later that same year to strong positive feedback, scoring an 89% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, it seems that performance wasn’t quite positive enough, as the following year, Netflix announced that the series had been canceled after its lone season. A precise reason for this cancellation was never publicly announced, though according to those allegedly in the know, the primary cause was production costs, worsened by filming during the COVID-induced quarantine, paired with a large-scale shake-up occurring in Netflix corporate at the time.
The show was allegedly canceled due to cost issues
“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance,” just like its predecessor, was brought to life by The Jim Henson Company. While the series did make use of newer filmmaking technologies like CGI and puppetry, the practical effects were still the predominant choice for creating the world of Thra and its denizens like the Gelflings and Skeksis, alongside a crew of over 2,500 professionals. It was this commitment to the original’s vision that earned the series a large portion of its acclaim, as well as its victory at the 2020 Emmys for Outstanding Children’s Program.
However, the victory at the Emmys occurred around the same time that Netflix was going through some severe restructuring. Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos announced the departure of the company’s VP of Original Content, Cindy Holland, and began reshuffling production priorities to focus more on the brand’s major moneymakers. According to an anonymous individual with ties to Netflix who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter in 2020, Sarandos considered some of the projects Holland pushed for, including “The Dark Crystal,” to be “pricey misses.” A 2023 Forbes report cites the overall production budget for “The Dark Crystal” at around $97 million; despite the show’s overall positive reception, it’s possible that it simply wasn’t positive enough for the upper brass to consider continuing it to be a cost-effective endeavor.
Following the initial cancellation announcement, Lisa Henson, the show’s executive producer, told fans that the creators were looking for ways to tell the remaining story of “Age of Resistance.” Sadly, nothing new has manifested six years later, though in a 2022 Variety interview, Henson Company TV head Halle Stanford said that the company was still thinking up ways to get the rest of the story out to fans.
