Our Journey 'Around the World in 80 Days' Seems to Be at An End

Being an Anglophile generally comes with certain realities: Your favorite British series will almost always be shorter than their American counterparts. They will typically star one of the same dozen or so actors (this is a feature, not a bug, by the way). And you'll spend a prodigious amount of time waiting — either for a program to make its way to America, another season of said property to arrive, or a single scrap of news about its future to surface. Most of us have, out of necessity, become extremely talented internet researchers, and some of us (read: me) may even have things like Google alerts set up to let us know immediately whenever an update about a particularly niche property arrives. (Extraordinary, I am looking at you. Season 3, when??)

This is because even if we get positive news, we don't trust it. And with good reason—extended silence rarely means anything good. Such is the case with Around the World in 80 Days, a charmingly old-school adventure romp based on the classic Jules Verne novel, which was reportedly renewed for a second season several years ago and has languished in development obscurity ever since. According to the latest update, it looks like it may stay that way.

The series, which premiered over the Christmas holidays in December 2021 before bowing in the U.S. in January, was a modest hit, a throwback to the sort of wholesome Saturday night-style family programming the entertainment industry once embraced. It starred David Tennant (Rivals) as globetrotter Phileas Fogg, the gambler whose outlandish bet inspires the journey of the story's title, alongside Ibrahim Koma (Mother Is Wrong) and Leonie Benesch (Vienna Blood) as his companions Passepartout and Abigail Fortescue.

Ahead of its first season premiere, word on the street (and in entertainment trades like Deadline) was that the series had already been re-upped for a second. Reports noted that deals were not finalized with the series' cast to return for more episodes, but the primary cast was all "expected to return." While the first season covered the primary story of Verne's book, the finale was reasonably open-ended, hinting that Fogg had discovered a clue to another potentially globe-spanning mystery.  The future of this little literary franchise looked so bright that it was even said the production team was planning to reteam for an adaptation of Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth. 

Fast forward several years, toss in a global pandemic and multiple industry strikes, and suddenly, the series' outlook isn't so sunny.  According to TV Line, a Masterpiece representative confirmed that no further seasons are currently forthcoming. “At this time, MASTERPIECE cannot confirm any further seasons," a spokesperson said. 

Now, that's not exactly a cancellation, per se. At least, no one official has said those specific words in that order. But three years on from the show's original airing and with a leading man who's constantly booked and busy — Tennant just wrapped a three-month theater run in Macbeth and is set to film more Rivals and Good Omens this year — it feels increasingly unlikely that we won't be seeing more of Fogg's adventures in this format. Sigh.

Not only is this a shame for fans who loved the series, but it's also an unfortunate loss for an industry that already features little of this old-school style of family programming, which is heavy on adventure but light on the bleak vibes that characterize so much of our current entertainment landscape. Between the loss of this and Renegade Nell, it's been a rough few months for viewers looking for options in this area. 

At least Season 1 remains delightful and is available to stream on PBS Passport.