Scripted network television is no stranger to abrupt cancellation. When a show gets the ax unexpectedly, it may result in two flavors of bad series finale: the pointless cliffhanger and the tacked-on post-production resolution (in which it’s painfully obvious the showrunners couldn’t get the main actors to film new scenes, so the ending consists of awkward expository narration and the occasional Fake Shemp). The last episode of Castle somehow managed to do both at once.
But what happens when a major network lacks the authority to cancel or renew an independently financed series? In the case of Siberia, it means existing in developmental limbo for 11 years and counting.
Siberia was, and remains, a mockumentary-style drama, satire, mystery, horror, thriller, sci-fi, and/or adventure show that debuted on NBC in the summer of 2013. This curiosity arrived three years after the conclusion of rival ABC’s mega-hit Lost, which had spawned copycats of varying quality even while it was still on the air. A few of Siberia’s cryptic teaser ads seemingly tried to capture the Lost zeitgeist; other commercials, however, presented it as a legitimate reality competition that owed more to Survivor.
Intrigued by this apparently indecisive marketing, my dad and I tuned in for the premiere. During at least the first few minutes, we genuinely considered the possibility we were watching an unscripted wilderness-based game show. Other than some scenic establishing shots, most of the footage came from handheld cameras. The candid interview segments felt organically awkward. We were even treated to an Amazing Race-style credits sequence showcasing the extremely diverse roster of contestants.
Adding to the illusion of realism, most of the cast members were unknowns who shared their first names with their characters. (At the time, some fans on the now-defunct IMDb message boards noted an exception to this rule, which would prove justified by one of the show’s many twists.)
I finally caught on to the ruse just as the pilot episode took a wild swerve, confirming my suspicions. Surely if this were real, NBC wouldn’t be airing it. Surely this incident would have spawned headlines, lawsuits, and endless tsuris for the network.
If the improbability of events didn’t make the audience privy to the show’s fictional nature, the end credits—which revealed that Siberia was actually filmed in Manitoba, Canada—certainly did.
And yet, the deceptive format resumed in the very next episode, turning the “found footage” formula on its head. Through this gimmick, Siberia managed to forge its own identity as a study in reality TV gone wrong, even as its increasingly bizarre plot points pushed viewers’ willing suspension of disbelief.
The season was supposed to consist of 12 episodes, but the last two had to be cut into a single finale to make room for other NBC programming. Naturally, this episode ended on a massive cliffhanger. With no word on the production of a second season, many viewers assumed the series had been canned.
What they didn’t know was that Siberia had been the first independently produced show licensed to a major network, and creator Matthew Arnold maintained full ownership of it—meaning the series was never officially canceled. In light of this revelation, Siberia’s small but loyal cult following began petitioning Netflix and other streaming services to pick up and renew the show.
Is there hope yet for a Season 2? A 2015 post on the subreddit r/Siberia claimed Arnold was determined to finish the story one way or another; should he be unable to continue the TV series, he was considering wrapping things up in graphic novel form. In the meantime, Arnold went on to create, write, and executive produce another show for NBC: Emerald City, a dark and gritty take on The Wizard of Oz that itself aired only one season (but, unlike Siberia, was unambiguously canceled).
For his part, Arnold has teased the possibility of reviving Siberia as recently as April 2021, when he spontaneously replied to a fan’s tweet from four years earlier that begged for answers. In keeping with the enigmatic nature of his television creation, Arnold’s belated response was seemingly straightforward yet frustratingly vague: “Someday I’ll let everyone know how it ends.”
Sadly, the May 2024 death of cast member Johnny Wactor raises further doubts about renewal. Recasting the role doesn’t seem feasible given the mockumentary format, and a CGI recreation would almost certainly be off-putting. That said, other shows have navigated similar tragedies with grace and dignity. If Siberia ever returns, I hope Wactor’s character receives a worthy send-off.
At the time of this posting, the entire first—but maybe not last—season of Siberia is available to stream for free on Tubi.
Media Shower 