Prime Video Cancels Countdown and Butterfly After One Season

Prime Video has canceled two of its freshman dramas, Countdown and Butterfly, after one season, the streaming service confirmed Friday. Both series debuted earlier this year through Amazon MGM Studios and starred Jensen Ackles in Countdown and Daniel Dae Kim in Butterfly.

Prime Video said the decision was driven by total global viewership, despite both shows appearing on Nielsen’s list of top 10 streaming originals and Countdown remaining in Prime Video’s U.S. Top 10 more than a month after its finale. The streamer recently completed a round of decisions on its new scripted slate, renewing several series while ending others.

Countdown, created and showrun by Derek Haas, followed an LAPD detective recruited to a secret task force investigating the murder of a Department of Homeland Security officer, a case that uncovers a wider conspiracy. Ackles led an ensemble including Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight and Uli Latukefu. The season ended on a cliffhanger designed to lead into a second season, and Ackles had publicly expressed hope that the story would continue, saying the cast and creators hoped audience engagement and critical attention would bolster the...