According to Deadline, AMC has cancelled the science-fiction comedy show Demascus before the series even had a chance to make its way to the air. Demascus, which had just finished wrapping up production, is only the latest in a growing list of shows to be cancelled by AMC due to a $400 million dollar programming write-down in order for the company to get a tax write-off.
As written by Deadline, Demascus now joins the second seasons of Moonhaven and 61st Street, as well as the recently completed six-part miniseries, Invitation to Bonfire in a recent string of cancelled AMC television programs (for more information, check out our other articles here and here). AMC Networks further elaborated on the matter in an SEC filing, “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.”
The story of Demascus follows a 33-year old Black man who embarks on a mission of self-discovery and finds that the up-and-coming field of digital psychiatry just might be the key to helping him embrace his truest self. According to Deadline, the show is a genre-fluid comedy and coming-of-age story with a sci-fi twist which explores the divergence in Black male perspectives while also attempting to answer the central question: “Who am I?”
Demascus comes from playwright Terrance Arvelle Chisholm (Hooded, or Being Black for Dummies, PYG, or the Misedumacation of Dorian Belle) and was executive produced by Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul). The series featured the acting talents of stars such as Okieriete Onaodowan (the A Quiet Place franchise, Station 19), Janet Hubert (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Single Black Female), and Caleb Eberhardt (Judas and the Black Messiah, Black Christmas), as well as Martin Lawrence (the Bad Boys franchise, House Party) in a recurring role.
Although Demascus may never air on AMC, it is possible that the show might find a home elsewhere if AMC Studios continues shopping the project around.