Editing Lost in Space (section)

==Cancellation==
In early 1968, after the final third-season episode "Junkyard in Space" completed filming, the cast and crew were informally led to believe the series had been renewed for a fourth season. Allen had ordered new scripts for the coming season. A few weeks later, however, CBS announced the complete list of returning television series for the 1968–69 season, and ''Lost in Space'' was not included. CBS executives failed to offer any reasons why ''Lost in Space'' was canceled.

The most likely reason the show was canceled was its increasingly high cost. The cost per episode had grown from $130,980 during the first season to $164,788 during the third season, and the actors' salaries nearly doubled during that time.<ref>Eisner, Joel, and Magen, Barry, ''Lost in Space Forever'', p. 279, Windsong Publishing, Inc., 1992.</ref> Further, the interior of the ''Jupiter 2'' was the most expensive set for a television show at the time, at a cost of $350,000.<ref>"Lost in Space" (1965) at IMDb</ref> 20th Century Fox had also recently incurred huge [[cost overrun|budget overruns]] for the film ''[[Cleopatra (1963 film)|Cleopatra]],'' which are believed to have caused budget cuts.<ref>''Lost in Space'' at tv.pop-cult.com</ref> Allen claimed the series could not continue with a reduced budget. During a negotiating conference regarding the series direction for the fourth season with CBS chief executive [[William S. Paley|Bill Paley]], Allen became furious when told the budget would be reduced up to 15% of the Season Three budget.<ref>Eisner, Joel, and Magen, Barry, ''Lost in Space Forever'', p. 280, Windsong Publishing, Inc., 1992.</ref>

The ''Lost in Space Forever'' DVD cites declining ratings and escalating costs as the reasons for cancellation.<ref>''Lost in Space Forever'', DVD, Twentieth Century Fox, 1998.</ref> Irwin Allen admitted that the Season 3 ratings showed an increasing percentage of children among the total viewers, meaning a drop in the "quality audience" that advertisers preferred.<ref name="History of TV's Lost in Space">{{cite web|url=http://galaxybeingsmavericlions.blogspot.com/2008/08/history-of-tvs-lost-in-space.html|website=Galaxy Beings Maveric Lions|title=The History of TVs Lost in Space|publisher=Blogspot}}</ref>

Guy Williams had grown embittered with his role on the show as it became increasingly "campy" in Seasons 2 and 3 while centering squarely on the antics of Harris's Dr. Smith character. Williams retired from acting and relocated to Argentina after the end of the series.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Farrier |first1=John |title=12 Fun Facts about Lost in Space |url=https://www.neatorama.com/2010/09/09/12-fun-facts-about-lost-in-space/ |website=Neatorama |date=September 9, 2010 |access-date=January 13, 2019 |language=en}}</ref>