Sci-Fi Comedy Series ‘Demascus’ Axed At AMC

EXCLUSIVE: Demascus, a comedic sci-fi series from playwright Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm and exec produced by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul exec producer Mark Johnson, has joined the list of shows canceled at AMC.

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The series, which has finished production, joins the second seasons of Moonhaven and 61st Street as well as Invitation to a Bonfire, as shows that have been cut as part of a programming write-down at the cable network.

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Last year, the company announced that it was writing down around $400M of content as part of a cost-cutting drive, allowing it to get a tax write-off.

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The cancellation of Demascus is part of this write-down.

In an SEC filing, AMC Networks said that “programming assessments pertain to a broad mix of owned and licensed content, including legacy television series and films that will no longer be in active rotation on the company’s linear or digital platforms.”

Demascus is the latest show cut before it made its way to air; thriller Invitation to a Bonfire was similarly in production when it was axed, similar to a number of shows across Warner Bros. Discovery.

In fact, Demascus and Invitation to a Bonfire, which both come from AMC Studios, were ordered at the same time in February 2022 after having had writers’ rooms opened in August as part of the broadcaster’s “scripts-to-series” model.

Created by Chisholm, Demascus follows an eponymous character, a 33-year-old Black man on a mission of self-discovery and the burgeoning field of digital psychiatry that might be the key to defining his truest self. The series is a comedic, genre-fluid, coming-of-age story with a reality-bending premise that explores the gulf between Black male perspectives, while also attempting to answer Demascus’ personal question: “Who am I?”

Okieriete Onaodowan, Janet Hubert, Caleb Eberhardt and Shakira Ja’nai Paye were cast alongside Martin Lawrence in a recurring role.

American Crime’s Kirk Moore and Chisholm exec produce alongside Johnson with Myki Bajaj of Gran Via producing.

Invitation to a Bonfire showrunner Rachel Caris Love told Deadline yesterday that she’s hopeful that the six-part series, which stars Tatiana Maslany, Ngozi Anyanwu and Pilou Asbæ, would find another home.

Demascus could similarly theoretically find another home with AMC Studios shopping the project.

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