In what feels like a pretty classic example of the “Holy crap, why was that still on?” school of TV news, Variety is reporting that NBC has canceled its Charles Manson-based drama Aquarius. The series—which starred Gethin Anthony as the notorious cult leader (and occasional Beach Boys menacer), and David Duchovny as the cop pursuing him—finished its second season last month.
Aquarius received a renewal for said sophomore season last year, despite being pretty widely panned by critics, both for its grimly unpleasant attitude toward violence against women, and for somehow making one of the most malevolent figures of the 20th century seem so profoundly dull. (We cut coverage of it after five episodes, with reviewer Gwen Ihnat calling it “a somber, soul-crushing enterprise.”)
The show’s second season used the infamous Tate murders as its framing device, slowly building to the actual deaths of actress Sharon Tate and four others in the season finale. Tate’s sister called for a boycott of the series before the second season aired, protesting its depiction and use of her sister’s death.