It appears that Pennyworth has served its last bit of backstory about Alfred, the man who will become Batman's butler, with the series now canceled.
HBO Max has given Pennyworth (formally titled Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler) its walking papers before it could utter "Master Bruce," with the cancellation of the Jack Bannon-starring prequel series now official, reports THR. While no official reason was cited, the move should come as no surprise given the massive reorganization of content -- notably those adapting DC Comics -- that has been underway over at parent company Warner Bros. Discovery. With the freshly announced movie and television slate of the DC Universe by DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran now known, there was little room left for Pennyworth, which already existed on the periphery of DC properties. This was similarly the case with HBO Max's recent cancellations of DC shows Titans and Doom Patrol.
Why Was Pennyworth Canceled?
An HBO Max spokesperson provided a statement to the trade, expressing gratitude for the role Pennyworth played on the DC lineup. “While HBO Max is not moving forward with another season of Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler, we are very thankful to creator Bruno Heller and executive producers Matthew Patnick, Danny Cannon and John Stephens, along with Warner Bros. Television, for their brilliant, unique, gripping depiction of the origin of Alfred Pennyworth, one of the most iconic characters in the Batman world,” the statement read. “An incredible blend of action, drama and humor, for three seasons, Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman’s Butler has taken fans on a mind-bending ride into Alfred’s eccentric world and the beginnings of cutting-edge super heroes and super villains.”
Pennyworth premiered back on Jul. 28, 2019 on its original home, the cable channel Epix. While the concept of a prequel series about a character whose ultimate destiny is becoming a butler -- even one as important as Alfred -- seemed like a tough sell, audiences widely praised the series for its irreverent crime drama style. As the creation of Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon, Pennyworth had Batman-accredited personnel onboard, with both having worked on the 2014-2019 Fox prequel series Gotham. However, the show wasn't attracting too many sets of eyes on Epix, which made the show, in its isolation from The CW's Arrowverse shows or the DC movies, a rather lonely, universe-disconnected DC offering. The series still nabbed a second season order from Epix, where its virtual invisibility continued. It even managed to get moved over to HBO Max for 2022's Season 3 amid Warner's streamlining of TV content. Regardless, Pennyworth never quite found a wide audience, even on HBO Max.
The story of the prequel series starts with Alfred (Bannon) as a young man who returns home to his parents in London after a life-changing stint in the Special Air Service (SAS). Unable to find steady work, he and some fellow SAS veterans form a private security firm, for which he utilizes his own particular set of skills. During the course of his action-packed exploits, Alfred meets a friend and benefactor in the wealthy American businessman Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge), who hires him to help uncover a secret society called the No Name League. The efforts fatefully put both men in the orbit of one member, Martha Kane (Emma Paetz), Thomas' future wife. Thus, the eventual occupants of Wayne Manor in the Batman lore -- save for one Bat-fixated child -- are firmly established in the ongoing drama.
Unfortunately for fans of the cult favorite show, the Nov. 24, 2022 Season 3 finale, "Highland Wedding," will stand as the series finale.
Pennyworth streams on HBO Max.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter