The incredibly disappointing news broke today that Starz is not moving forward with additional seasons of its excellent series Counterpart. In other words, yes, it's cancelled -- although according to Deadline, the show's production company MRC is shopping it around to streaming services. So, hopefully a network like Hulu will pick it up so it will actually be seen by viewers this time -- it absolutely deserves it! (You can read my review of Season 2 here, as well as thoughts on the great episode "Twin Cities").

When Starz first picked up the series, it did so for two seasons. The ambitious show stars J.K. Simmons as a low-level cog in a mysterious Berlin office who ends up being pulled into an entirely different world, one that is parallel to ours and which has dopplegangers that may look exactly like us, but who often act completely differently. The show explores what our lives would look like if we had made different choices here and there, and the different facets of personalities personified. It also has a Cold War aesthetic with plenty of spycraft, and is one of the most thoughtful series on television. It also boasts an excellent cast that includes Olivia Williams, Harry Lloyd, Nazanin Boniadi, and Sara Serraiocco.

Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reported also just published a piece about the strange case of Starz and Epix as streaming services, and what it might take for them to survive, citing a hope that Counterpart would be picked up beyond Season 2. Counterpart creator Justin Marks also expressed hope that it will continue, saying on Twitter:

"Hey #counterpart fans, a bit of sad news… Starz has decided not to pick up our show for a 3rd season...It’s been an absolute dream for this team… we got to make EXACTLY the show we wanted to… perfect cast, perfect crew on 2 continents… and we’re so grateful to our network for the time we had...Thank you to everyone who made this journey so special for us. Your tweets, podcasts, and intricate conspiracy theories have made it all worthwhile. Fingers crossed that our wonderful studio, MRC, can find a way to keep the dream alive! But in the meantime, one more episode until the end of a chapter. See you Sunday!"

Keep watching, start watching, and hopefully we will get more Counterpart in the future.

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Image via Starz
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Image via Starz
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Image via Starz