Kevin Bacon is undeniably one of Hollywood’s most talented leading men, having appeared in a slew of fan-favorite films throughout his enduring 40-plus-year career, including Footloose, Tremors, A Few Good Men, and Apollo 13. In 2025, he returned to the small screen to star as resurrected bounty hunter Hub Halloran in the action horror series The Bondsman, in which he hunts down some of the devil’s nastiest demons in an effort to keep himself out of hell’s fiery pits.
Despite Bacon’s wickedly entertaining performance and the show’s unique premise, The Bondsman was shockingly canceled after just eight episodes in May 2025, much to the disappointment of both fans and the actor himself. Many felt the horror series had not been given enough time to fully establish itself and that Amazon pulled the plug too soon; let’s check out why The Bondsman was given the ax.
Why Was ‘The Bondsman’ Canceled?
Kevin Bacon brought his signature swagger back to the small screen when he headlined Prime Video’s action horror series The Bondsman. He portrayed backwoods bounty hunter Hub Halloran, who, after being brutally murdered while on the job, is resurrected by the Devil and brought back to life to hunt down demons that escaped hell. Featuring the additional talents of Jennifer Nettles, Beth Grant, and Damon Herriman, the rip-roaring original debuted on April 3, 2025, and spawned eight episodes before being shockingly canceled after just one season.
Despite the presence of Hollywood veteran Bacon and the show attracting a solid 83% Rotten Tomatoes score, The Bondsman was given the ax by the streaming giant before it could truly find its footing and establish an audience. Though the series premiere impressively racked up 9.38 million hours viewed during its debut week and landed at No. 9 on the Nielsen streaming charts, the momentum proved to be short-lived, and it experienced a substantial viewership decline.
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Other factors that led to the horror show’s untimely cancellation include a lack of exposure and marketing by Prime Video as well as its inability to generate enough online buzz from fans, all of which help justify a quick renewal. The familiar demon-hunting premise and onslaught of supernatural streaming content also served as a major hurdle for The Bondsman, as did its far-too-brief 30-minute episodes that hindered the show’s ability to truly establish the characters and make viewers become fully invested in what happens to them.
Bacon’s Bummed Just like Fans Over Amazon’s Decision
Kevin Bacon is no stranger to navigating the entertainment industry’s many temperaments and shifting landscapes, with an enduring career spanning over four decades, and though he understands the nature of the Hollywood beast, that doesn’t mean he’s not just as upset about The Bondsman‘s cancelation as fans are. After Amazon made the decision not to bring back the horror series for another installment in May 2025, Bacon shared an Instagram video in which he said he was “bummed out that The Bondsman is not coming back for a second season” before adding:
“I just really loved walking in Hub Halloran’s shoes, making that show with so many great, talented people, making that music. I wish I had an explanation for you, but I honestly don’t. But for those of you who checked it out and wrote so many sweet comments — and there were a lot of you — I just want to say thanks. It means a lot to me. And, you know, I guess that’s the way it goes.”
The Bondsman was an original series from Blumhouse Productions and was created by Grainger David, with Erik Oleson (Carnival Row, Daredevil) serving as showrunner, and Bacon also acting as an executive producer alongside David and Oleson. Bacon’s performance as Hell’s resident bounty hunter garnered rave reviews from both critics and fans, with The Hollywood Reporter praising the seasoned star and his unique ability “to land the show’s humor with a well-timed grunt, and its emotions with the perfect hangdog expression, such is his charisma.”
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The Bondsman is not the first time Bacon has ventured into the world of television, as he had previously starred in the equally underrated thriller The Following for three seasons and in Showtime’s crime drama City on a Hill from 2019 to 2022. He is set to appear alongside his real-life wife and fellow acting great Kyra Sedgwick in the upcoming rom-com The Best You Can, and most recently starred opposite famous faces like Glenn Howerton, Meghann Fahy, and Julianne Moore in the Netflix dark comedy miniseries Sirens.
Stream The Bondsman on Prime Video.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
