Picture: Netflix
The animated kids series Dogs in Space has ended after its initial two-season order.
Created by Jeremiah Cortez, Dogs in Space first flew onto our screens in November 2021 before being announced to be returning for a second season, which dropped in September 2022. It ran for 20 episodes in all and followed the canine adventures of Garbage, Stella, and Ed, among others, who are genetically enhanced dogs sent across the universe in the hopes of finding a new home for the human race.
The series’ voice cast included Haley Joel Osment, Sarah Chalke, Kimiko Glenn, and Chris Parnell.
https://youtu.be/A4UqQc9Uz0U
The cancellation news comes from James Hamilton, the series head writer, who announced earlier this year that he was searching for new work via Twitter/X. When asked in early August 2024 if Dogs in Space had been canceled, the writer said, “It was I’m afraid!”
Before that post, Hamilton had implied the show was canceled back in November 2023, writing in a thread:
“I’m immensely proud of Dogs, and all the hard work our writing team did to make this show as special as it is. We worked our arses off, and it shows in how funny, emotional and smart the stories are.
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Although there were ideas floating around for future episodes – and yes, that cliffhanger – I can’t tell you with certainty what more Dogs In Space would have looked like. But for what it’s worth, I believe they found a new planet and succeeded in their mission.
Even if season two’s finale is the ultimate canonical end – perhaps Jeremiah will find a way to tell more stories with these characters some day, pending how entangled the rights are – I truly feel good about where we left the Pluto crew, even if they hadn’t found a new home yet.
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While I know it might be disappointing to have seen the series end where it did… personally, I felt a lot of closure writing the final scene where Garbage says “Let’s find a new planet!”
Because, after everything he went through and all he had learned, I knew he would.”
Hamilton’s writing will be next seen on Netflix via Jentry Chau vs The Underworld, due for release sometime in 2024. He recently wrote about his time writing that show, “It was a ludicrous, wonderful privilege to be the head writer of this show and bring creator Echo Wu’s exceptional vision to life. You are NOT FREAKING READY for how good this series is going to be.”
Hamilton also revealed in the aforementioned thread that he has a “secret” animated series in development at Netflix, which he calls “exciting, but not enough to pay the bills.”
Sadly, it’s increasingly the case that most Netflix Original animated kids shows rarely go beyond their initial upfront order, which typically consists of one or two seasons. On some occasions, if the show is a big success it may get additional season orders, but given the nature of how long the runway for animated projects is, it’s often not the case. Earlier this year, we learned that My Dad is a Bounty Hunter would not be going beyond its initial order.
Thanks to Kate S via email for the heads-up on the cancellation.
Are you disappointed that Dogs in Space won’t be coming back for another season at Netflix? Let us know in the comments down below.
