‘Y: The Last Man’ Was One of the Most Ambitious Sci-fi Series of the Decade

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AMC’s The Walking Dead really set the stage for adapting popular comic books and video games into TV shows about the end of the world. It not only spawned several spin-offs, but also inspired many other series. Shows like The Last of Us and Fallout followed a similar apocalyptic formula, while The Boys and Preacher brought edgy comics to life, though without the focus on world-ending events. Unfortunately, Y: The Last Man never quite lived up to its potential and has largely disappeared from view.

The TV show on FX was adapted from the comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra. The story centers around a mysterious event where all mammals with a Y chromosome suddenly died. Yorick Brown, an amateur magician known as ‘Y,’ and his monkey, Ampersand, are the only survivors, and the series explores why.

Beyond being a thrilling, frightening, and funny science fiction idea, the original story offered a chance to examine how gender roles and inequalities play out. With all men suddenly gone, systems like infrastructure, politics, and the military – traditionally led by men – would be deeply affected. It seemed like a perfect setup to mirror the gender imbalances we see in the real world today, but the show didn’t quite succeed. Y: The Last Man only lasted one season in 2021 and was removed from Hulu in 2023. It was never released on DVD or Blu-ray and remains available only for streaming or rental in a few countries.

‘Y: The Last Man’ – What Went Wrong?


FX

Fans of the comic book series Y: The Last Man have been eagerly awaiting a live-action adaptation for years, with early discussions starting even before the comic finished in 2008. Initially, there was talk of Shia LaBeouf starring in a film directed by D.J. Caruso, but the creators envisioned a three-part movie series, while the studio, New Line Cinema, preferred a single film.

Vaughan and Guerra eventually got the rights back to their work, and in 2015, FX bought the rights to adapt it for television. A pilot episode was filmed in 2018, and the show was officially picked up in 2019, though there were some changes. The original showrunners, Michael Green and Aida Mashaka Croal, left after filming the pilot and were replaced by Eliza Clark. As part of these changes, almost all of the original pilot footage was discarded, and some key characters were recast. Lashana Lynch (known for Captain Marvel) was originally cast in a supporting role but was replaced by Ashley Romans. Barry Keoghan (Eternals, Dunkirk, The Batman) was initially chosen to play Yorick, but Ben Schnetzer took over the part.

Given the series began production in 2019, it’s not surprising that filming faced many delays because of the coronavirus pandemic. Although it finally premiered in September 2021, after many lockdowns had ended, viewers didn’t seem eager to watch a show centered around a global plague. Unfortunately, FX canceled the show before the first season had even finished airing.

‘Y: The Last Man’ – What Went Right?

While the show didn’t instantly become a huge hit, its first season received a respectable 77% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Unfortunately, FX and Hulu, like many streaming services, didn’t share viewership numbers, making it hard to gauge how well it performed with viewers.

It’s important to understand that FX cancelled the show purely for financial reasons. The actors’ contracts were nearing their end, and renewing them would have been too expensive. Despite the showrunner, Clark, having ideas for a second season, FX decided it wasn’t worth the investment.

From the beginning, it was an uphill battle to get Y: The Last Man made into a TV series. Despite the challenges, the show presented a compelling idea and featured a strong cast, including Diane Lane, Olivia Thirlby, Elliot Fletcher, Marin Ireland, and Amber Tamblyn. What really stood out was its exploration of gender, specifically the difference between someone’s biological sex and their gender identity. In the show’s world, anyone with a Y chromosome who wasn’t a cisgender man was killed, which highlighted these themes.

The show could have delved deeper into the aftermath of a global catastrophe that wiped out half the population, including how future generations would cope and rebuild. It promised both a thrilling science fiction story and a thought-provoking look at gender dynamics. Unfortunately, U.S. viewers currently have no legal way to watch the series, as it’s not available for streaming, rental, or purchase.

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2026-02-21 03:33