The Peacock horror thriller series “Hysteria!” has been canceled after just one season, Variety has learned exclusively.
The show aired its one and only season at the streamer in October 2024. It had originally been ordered to series in August 2022 and began production in 2023, but was forced to shut down after filming just a few episodes due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes. It eventually resumed production in late 2023.
Peacock does not release viewership data for its shows, so it is difficult to gauge exactly how many people watched “Hysteria!” However, the show did not make an appearance on the weekly Nielsen Top 10 streaming charts upon its release. It was well-received by critics though, holding a 91% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The official series description states:
“When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported ‘supernatural activity’ triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.”
The cast of the series included series regulars Julie Bowen, Anna Camp, Emjay Anthony, Chiara Aurelia, Kezii Curtis and Nikki Hahn. Bruce Campbell, Garret Dillahunt, Nolan North, Elijah Richardson, Milly Shapiro, Allison Scagliotti, and Jessica Treska appeared in recurring roles.
Matthew Scott Kane and David Goodman served as writers and executive producers. John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein, Chris Bender and Jake Weiner also executive produced, with Bender and Weiner doing so via Good Fear Content. Scott Stoops was supervising producer for Good Fear. Jordan Vogt-Roberts was an executive producer and directed the first and last episode. The series was produced by UCP.
