Fans had to wait for three-and-a-half years for the second season of Carnival Row, only to find out that Season 2 would be the last.
Amazon Studios seemed to be confident in the series. They revealed that Season 2 was coming even before the first eight episodes of Season 1 aired in 2019. Additionally, the show’s creators, Travis Beacham and Marc Guggenheim revealed that they already outlined and talked about a third and fourth season for this fantasy series.
However, in November 2022, Amazon Studios confirmed that the upcoming second season would be the show's last. So what happened? Why won’t there be a Carnival Row Season 3?
Why Did Amazon Studios Cancel Carnival Row?
The decision not to push through with a Season 3 was reportedly made for various reasons, including the show’s high cost of production, its mixed reviews and niche audience, the show’s ratings, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Carnival Row Season 2 only had a few weeks to go when production was halted in March 2020 due to the lockdowns.
However, Orlando Bloom, the actor who plays Rycroft Philostrate, said in an interview with Radio Times that while COVID halted production, they had already shot so much footage to the point where Season 2 could serve as a series finale.
“I think COVID really put the brakes on everything. It was jarring and so the thinking was, there was a lot of love for the show in season 1 – and certainly Amazon was super supportive – but really, we had so much footage that we were able to take this world and bring it to a conclusion in a really great way,” the actor said.
Additionally, Cara Delevingne, the actress who plays Vignette Stonemoss, said in an interview with Collider that the show never had an outline and that it was always the intention to end with Season 2.
“This show never had an outline. It’s not taken from a book. It’s not coming from a world that’s already been made. There were a couple of ideas, but there were never any full-out ideas because you could go in any direction, really,” the actress said.
“I think it was always the intention to end with Season 2 and the way it was headed. A lot of shows drag out seasons and it gets a bit boring and monotonous and repetitive,” she added.
RELATED: Carnival Row Season 2 Finale Recap and Ending Explained
The Cast of Carnival Row Bids Farewell
Waiting for an epic show’s next season only to find out it’s the finale is disappointing. However, Delevingne said that she wouldn’t change how the show ended.
“The way that this show works is that it’s intense and it’s extreme and it’s honest, so the way that it ends is perfect. If you drag it out, you wouldn’t really know where the story goes, and it ends in such a perfect way,” the actress said.
“Things just made sense, for the rate at which the show was going. There are so many ways in which it could have gone, but for me, this ending is perfect. I really wouldn’t change it,” Delevingne added.
And while the series ended with the characters getting the peace they deserved, it did leave fans wondering whether the war between the humans and the fae is really over. However, Orlando Bloom seems to prefer leaving the fans hanging.
"I love the idea of leaving people wanting more, rather than trying to wring the marrow out of everything,” the actor said.
Watch the cast thank the fans and bid farewell to the series:
RELATED: Who Dies in the Carnival Row Season 2 Finale?
Carnival Row is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
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