September 7, 2017

Four months after renewing Z: The Beginning of Everything, Amazon appears to have had a change of heart regarding the series' future. It is now being reported that the streaming giant has instead cancelled the novel-based period drama, marking the first time the studio has reversed a renewal decision on one of its original series.

The Season 2 pickup back in April came as a surprise to many at the time, as insiders did not expect the show to continue. While viewership numbers are not known, critical response to the first season was generally lukewarm.

Today's cancellation comes as pre-production activities had reportedly begun some time ago on the new season, including a writer's room that had already been penning scripts for its sophomore run. Unfortunately, though, the move is rumored to be related to cost-cutting by the studio in terms of the money it wants to put towards its original projects in 2018.

Based on "Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald" by Therese Anne Fowler, Z: The Beginning of Everything starred Christina Ricci as 1920s jazz icon Zelda Fitzgerald, telling the story of her marriage to famous American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, as they navigate their passionate and complicated romance filled with an excess of everything including partying and alcohol.