Abhiroop Das
Created by Ben Edlund, ‘The Tick’ reimagines the eponymous comic book superhero by having him face increasingly modern and satirical challenges. Nearly invulnerable but also with very little memory of who he is, the Tick wanders all around The City in his characteristic blue suit, looking to save lives and sort out troubles. In season 1 of this superhero comedy show, he joins hands with Arthur, a powerless accountant looking into the suspicious status of a villain long presumed to be dead, and chaos follows.
By the end of season 2, the Tick and Arthur discover and take down yet another malicious figure, the Duke, putting an end to his secret machinations. However, Superian, the apex superhero of this world, is intercepted by an alien police organization just as he is about to destroy Earth, which spins things in an entirely new direction. On May 16, 2019, Edlund announced that Prime Video had decided not to renew the show for a third season, leaving fans heartbroken but also curious about why the call was made in the first place.
The Tick Ended With Season 2, Possibly Due to a Dip in Viewership
‘The Tick’ was canceled by Prime Video with just two seasons under its belt, most likely due to a blend of its high production cost and overall low viewership. While season 1 of the show managed to cultivate a passionate audience with its superhero premise, the sequel likely struggled to grow its viewership further, despite being more critically acclaimed. Another key factor in the decision was the series’s large-scale production design, which probably increased the budgetary requirements over the years. With the ending of season 2 teasing at more extraterrestrial threats, a third season would have potentially required even more extensive VFX work. However, with the cost-to-profit ratio perhaps not lining up, the creators chose season 2 as the conclusion of the series as a whole.
It has also been speculated that production for ‘The Tick’ was scrapped in favor of ‘The Boys,’ which went on to be one of Prime Video’s most iconic television shows ever. It’s possible that the producers didn’t want to run two similar shows at the same time, but as of writing, no such thing has been confirmed by the creators of the show. Following the cancellation, creator Ben Edlund announced that he wasn’t done with the story just yet and was actively seeking a new home for ‘The Tick.’ Sometime later, however, he updated that he and the team were unable to secure a new platform willing to continue the series. Despite the setback, Edlund remained determined and said, “I think we might as well accept it as a law of the universe: when the time is right #TheTick always comes back,” referencing the many adaptations of his story over the years.
The Tick Season 3 Could Bring in New Extraterrestrial Threats
With ‘The Tick’ ending on a rather abrupt note, the vast majority of plotlines set up in season 2 never get a chance to develop any further. The final moments of the season also happen to include two of the biggest cliffhangers in the show, which only adds to what we are potentially missing out on. A hypothetical third installment in the series would have centered on Superian’s past, showing how he went from being an intergalactic fugitive to a superhero beyond compare. That said, the fact that he almost blows up the world in pursuit of time travel is likely to spark some discussion about whether he is really someone who should be valorized. With Arthur and the Tick now presenting an alternate model of superheroism, Superian could have even become the next antagonist of the season.
The other big twist at the end comes with the reveal of Thrakkorzog, an alien entity first designed by Ben Edlund for the animated adaptation of ‘The Tick.’ In the live-action series, he seemingly nests himself inside Commander Tyrannosaurus Rathbone’s chest, essentially bringing him back from the dead. However, we still don’t know if it’s really the commander or Thrakkorzog’s consciousness speaking through him. If the latter turns out to be the case, the already shaky fate of AEGIS is bound to catapult to even stranger directions, and this is not even considering the other loose ends of the arc, be it Lint’s escape and potential turn towards heroism, or Dot and Overkill’s budding love story. Unlike season 1, which largely functions as a closed story, season 2 devotes a lot of its time to building up the world and its characters for the future. Without a third season coming out anytime soon, however, all of that potential will likely remain untapped.
Read More: The Tick Season 2 Ending Explained: Who is in the Spaceship? Is Superian a Fugitive?
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