“Stargate Atlantis,” a spin-off of “Stargate SG-1,” is the second series in the franchise based on the 1994 “Stargate” movie. The show follows characters exploring planets in the Pegasus galaxy, originally starting with Atlantis after the discovery of the city in “Stargate SG-1” Season 7. “Atlantis” spanned five seasons from 2004 through 2009, with the crew sent to learn more about the newly-discovered Atlantis.

The show was home to actors like Joe Flanigan in the lead role of John Sheppard, Torri Higginson as Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Rachel Luttrell as Athos village leader Teyla Emmagan, and David Hewlett as United States Air Force contractor Rodney McKay. Future A-lister Jason Momoa was also a member of the main cast starting in the second season, playing the Sateda native Ronon Dex. For a lot of the cast, this was the most significant project of their careers at the time. It made them a part of a popular franchise and allowed them to personally add to “Stargate” lore.

So, why was “Stargate Atlantis” canceled after its fifth season? There are a variety of reasons why a series isn’t renewed, from low ratings to rising costs and even disagreements between network execs and creative teams. The situation is a bit more nuanced when it comes to “Stargate Atlantis,” so let’s dive in. Here are all the factors that did (and didn’t) play a role in the cancellation of the series — and how it almost came back.

Executive producer and showrunner Joseph Mallozzi was upfront about the core reasoning for the cancellation of “Stargate Atlantis” in a blog post published on August 21, 2008, right after the news broke. It was confirmed that the fifth and then-current season would be the final one, despite strong metrics for Season 5. “We came into this year knowing that renewal would be a longshot,” Mallozzi wrote, adding that the “rising production costs” were impossible to overcome.

This confirmation that money was at the heart of the show’s demise wasn’t a surprise (this was right in the middle of what’s become known as The Great Recession, after all), but it was disappointing for fans nonetheless. While the exact cost of making “Stargate Atlantis” isn’t public knowledge, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that “Stargate SG-1” cost $2.2 million per episode, and when actor Robert Carlyle sat down with The Telegraph to discuss the 2009 spin-off series “Stargate Universe,” he said that a single episode “costs over $2million to make.”

It’s safe to assume that “Stargate Atlantis” was in the same ballpark in terms of budget, and this was clearly too much money to justify during a financial crisis. However, it’s important to note that this kind of money wasn’t out of the norm for shows on the Sci-Fi Channel at the time. When it was confirmed in 2004 that Sci-Fi was launching a reboot of “Battlestar Galactica,” Today reported: “It will likely be one of cable’s more expensive drama series, with production estimates as high as $1.5 million per episode.”

One of the biggest factors in the cancellation of “Stargate Atlantis” was the strength of the Canadian dollar against the United States dollar. In his blog post confirming that the show was done, Joseph Mallozzi specifically mentioned “the US dollar’s steep decline.” To better understand how this impacted the show, let’s consider how the exchange rate of both dollars changed over the course of the production period. As documented by James Hoare for The Companion, when “Stargate Atlantis” began production, one Canadian dollar was equivalent to 0.795 United States dollars. This gap had tightened by 2008, with one Canadian dollar now the equivalent of 0.942 United States dollars.

Why was “Stargate Atlantis” so impacted by this? Well, just like “Stargate SG-1,” the show was filmed in Canada, and when converting the budget into Canadian dollars, it equated to more money in the early years. So, as the difference between the two dollars lessened, it actually meant the series would have less money per episode than before, unless there was a budget increase to account for the shifting exchange rate. This was always unlikely to get sanctioned in a time of financial crisis. Rather than go down this route, the big wigs in charge decided to wield the ax and call time on the series.

It certainly didn’t help “Stargate Atlantis” that MGM (the studio that owned the franchise) was going through financial difficulty around the time of the cancellation. The company filed for bankruptcy in October 2010 and a restructuring began, with creditors entrusting the founders of Spyglass Entertainment to steady the ship. In the years leading up to the filing, many highly anticipated projects stalled, including a sequel to Daniel Craig’s James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace.” In 2022, Amazon purchased MGM and its library in a big $8.5 billion deal that was great for Prime Video subscribers but came far too late to save “Stargate Atlantis.”

MGM wasn’t the only company going through big changes at the time: In 2009, the Sci-Fi Channel rebranded to Syfy. As part of the rebrand, the content focus shifted. Instead of a line up that included two “Stargate” shows and “Battlestar Galactica,” the channel would now lean more into fantasy and supernatural series, like “Merlin” and “Being Human.” While science fiction still featured, spare-faring adventure stories were no longer the main focus.

Sure, the company could have taken on the cost of “Stargate Atlantis” and kept it going after the rebrand, but that was never a real possibility in the financial climate of the day. The arrangement for “Stargate SG-1” episodes was that MGM covered two thirds of the cost and left the rest for Sci-Fi, so it would have been a big increase in outlay for the channel even without the crisis. Execs opted to cancel “Stargate Atlantis” and focus on other properties that were likely deemed more profitable in the changing media landscape.

Another element that seemingly contributed to the eventual cancellation of “Stargate Atlantis” was the ending of “Stargate SG-1” in 2007 after ten seasons. What does this have to do with “Atlantis” being axed? Well, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “SG-1” and “Atlantis” shared both a production crew and sound stages, meaning they likely split the cost of these between the two shows. By halving the outlay, more of the budget could go toward making the episodes great. It was an arrangement that created more wiggle room for the creators and producers.

When “SG-1” ended, it likely meant the entirety of the money for sound stages and the crew was on the shoulders of “Atlantis.” Joseph Mallozzi wrote about rising production costs in his August 21, 2008 blog post, and taking on the other half of the monetary obligation for a crew and the sound stages seemingly contributed to that. Ironically, when “Stargate Universe” was greenlit and went into production in 2009, it was shot on the same sound stages at The Bridge Studios in British Columbia: By the time the spin-off premiered in October 2009, The Great Recession was over and the costs of the sound stages were easier to justify.

Some “Stargate” fans blame 2009’s “Stargate Universe” for the cancellation of “Atlantis,” claiming that the five-season series was binned so those resources could go toward a new entry in the “Stargate” timeline. Given the timing of the new spin-off (“Atlantis” was canceled in 2008, and “Universe” came out the following year), it’s a fair assumption to make. But is there any truth to this? Well, even though the spin-off isn’t directly responsible for the demise of “Atlantis,” it’s true that executives pulled the plug on that show knowing that they had another “Stargate” show in the pipeline.

When “Universe” was canceled in 2011, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Syfy Digital Craig Engler spoke to GateWorld about all things “Stargate.” Most of the interview focused on why “Universe” ended (long story short, the ratings were not good enough), but Engler also opened up about “Atlantis” being dropped, confirming that the spin-off idea made the decision easier. “When MGM and Syfy mutually decided to bring ‘Stargate Atlantis’ to an end after five seasons, they did so knowing they’d transition to a new show in the franchise, ‘Stargate Universe,'” Engler said. “‘SGU’ was a bold new take on ‘Stargate’ that Brad Wright and Robert Cooper had had in mind for a long time, and one that we’d discussed with them off and on.”

“Stargate Atlantis” had strong ratings, typically outperforming other shows on the Sci-Fi Channel. Like many shows, viewership waned over time, but even in the fourth season, the series averaged 1.8 million viewers, which was half a million more than other shows on the channel. The final episode of the series garnered 2.02 million viewers, with the fifth season averaging 2.1 million viewers across the board.

In addition to strong viewer numbers in comparison to other shows on the network, “Stargate Atlantis” showed no signs of being past its prime in its later seasons. Of the show’s top five episodes based on IMDb ratings, four of them are in the final two seasons of the series. The Season 5 episode “First Contact” holds third place, with Season 4’s “Midway,” and “Be All My Sins Remember’d” in the second and top spot, respectively.

So what gives? Why did the powers that be decide to call time on “Atlantis” when ratings were better than average? Well, according to Craig Engler of Syfy Digital, a rise in viewership near the end of a series isn’t actually unusual: “It’s called the ‘terminal spike’ in ratings parlance,” Engler called GateWorld. As much as it makes for good reading, this uptick in ratings near the end of “Atlantis” was never going to save the show.

When “Stargate Atlantis” was canceled after five seasons, there were plans to continue the story in a movie. MGM and Sci-Fi confirmed that “Atlantis” would live on as a film on the same day they announced the cancellation. In a press release, executive producers and creators Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright said that they were “excited to tell Atlantis stories on a bigger canvas” with the movie, which was going to be released on DVD by MGM. It had worked for “Stargate SG-1,” and the assumption was that a straight-to-DVD “Atlantis” movie would also do well.

Speaking to GateWorld shortly after the cancellation of “Stargate Atlantis” in 2008, Brad Wright confirmed that the idea of making an “Atlantis” movie was factored into discussions about the show’s renewal. Back then, the straight-to-DVD movie market was still in good shape, so when the creative team sat down with MGM and Sci-Fi, a compromise was reached. “We decided basically to pull the trigger on movies sooner rather than later, while Atlantis was still doing well,” Wright said. “It was a mutual thing. I honestly have neither the desire nor the inclination to blame anybody, because this is a wonderful thing to be able to continue.”

Sadly, the film (which was going to be called “Stargate: Extinction”) never came to pass. The media landscape was changing yet again, and the powers that be decided that going down the direct-to-DVD route was no longer a smart movie. “Between the time those [‘SG-1’] direct-to-DVD movies were released and we sent in our script for ‘Stargate: Extinction,’ the DVD market had died,” showrunner Joseph Mallozzi told GateWorld in 2022. “Essentially the bottom had fallen out. And MGM decided to shelve the production on the movie.”

Joseph Mallozzi and the rest of the creative team accepted the end of “Stargate Atlantis” graciously believing that a film was on the horizon, though they were fully prepared for Season 6 had the show received a renewal. In June 2024, Mallozzi made a long X post sharing a short synopsis for each of the 20 episodes that had been mapped out. The post even includes a picture of a whiteboard with the episode names (or stand-in names) written in order, taking fans behind the scenes.

The two-part season opener was actually the same story that was almost made into “Stargate: Extinction.” It would have seen the team traveling through time and getting lost in a different galaxy. “There, they encounter a curious civilization as well as an unexpected foe in the form of a future version of Todd the wraith,” Mallozzi wrote. “With the help of present-day Todd, however, our heroes manage to turn the tables on the enemy and resume their journey to the Pegasus galaxy.”

The most detailed episode description is for the season finale, which would have seen an epic battle unfold. “Sheppard’s team return to Atlantis with a dire warning, only to be informed that long range scanners have picked up the sister city. And it’s headed straight for them,” the synopsis reads. “We are treated to some classic character-centered moments as the city readies for what will be their biggest battle, against a better equipped, better prepared opponent.” The Season 6 plan is great reading for fans, and it proves that Mallozzi and co. were ready to go had they gotten the green light.

Actor and writer Joe Flanigan is well-known for his leading role in “Stargate Atlantis” as John Sheppard, the eventual military commander of Atlantis. While Flanigan has been on our screens since “Atlantis” came to a close, Sheppard remains the actor’s most notable role on television. What fans may not know is that Flanigan actually tried to buy the “Stargate” franchise from MGM in an attempt to get “Atlantis” Season 6 made. Speaking at The Edmonton Expo in 2014, Flanigan revealed that he approached MGM amid the bankruptcy talk with his offer.

“I had contacted a few investors and we had made an informal arrangement to either buy or lease the franchise,” Flanigan explained. “And I’d led a small group of people and we had the informal agreement — the guy who ran MGM said, ‘I can’t let you buy the franchise. That would require a level of approval that we can’t even muster up these days because we’re going south. But I can maybe make an informal agreement to lease this thing on a ten-year lease.'” Sadly, Flanigan’s plans to get Season 6 off the ground never came to fruition, though it wasn’t through a lack of trying.

The actor planned on filming all 20 episodes in Europe, he said during his Edmonton Expo panel appearance. “We’re gonna pre-sell them all over the world, and we’re gonna come back to American networks,” Flanigan added. “It’s one of those things that audiences want now, and it’s one of those things that make for a good business model.” He didn’t share if he was working with the original creative team behind the series, meaning it’s unclear if Flanigan’s vision for Season 6 matched what Joseph Mallozzi put on X in June 2024, though it’s safe to assume that he would have wanted to keep the “Atlantis” team together.

If you’re curious about what became of Flanigan and his co-stars, check out TheShockNews’s roundup on what the cast of “Stargate Atlantis” is doing today.