The latest news roundup brings both glad and sad tidings for geek TV.

Damon Lindelof has made a qualified declaration that “I’m not adapting Watchmen” during a discussion of the comics by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons in the Bookish podcast with Sonya Walger. “We’ll see if ‘adapting’… it may be the right word at the end of the day,” Lindelof hedged before mentioning the television version of Fargo. Lindelof wouldn’t call the series an adaptation because it borrows elements from both the Fargo film and the wider Coen Brothers oeuvre, while incorporating original ideas, suggesting that Lindelof plans to do the same for Watchmen. Lindelof could potentially use material from Charlton Comics, whose superheroes were the inspiration for many of the characters in Watchmen, as well as the wider universe that has DC has developed with recent releases like Before Watchmen and Doomsday Clock. HBO ordered Watchmen to pilot in September (see “Watchmen' Greenlit for Pilot”). Nicole Kassel, who directed two episodes of Lindelof’s The Leftovers, is directing the pilot (see “HBO's 'Watchmen' Pilot Names Director”).

Starz has cancelled cult favorite series Ash Vs. Evil Dead after three seasons, (via Variety). The horror-comedy embraced the irreverent spirit of the Sam Raimi movies, and Bruce Campbell reprised his signature role, starring alongside Lucy Lawless, Dana DeLorenzo, and Ray Santiago. The third season had seen a marked decrease in viewership, garnering only 177,000 viewers per episode with two left to air. As fans scrambled to find ways to rescue the show, Campbell responded to a campaign asking Netflix to pick the series. He took to Twitter to praise fans for their enthusiasm before uttering the not-so-groovy words, “I’m retired as Ash.”

The Fast & Furious franchise is living life a quarter mile at a time all the way to an animated series from DreamWorks Animated Television. It has been ordered to series at Netflix under an expanded deal between the studio and streaming giant, according to Variety. The series will follow Dom Toretto’s teenaged cousin Tony, who is recruited to infiltrate a racing league that serves as a front for a criminal organization. Tim Hedrick, who wrote some of the Voltron: Legendary Defender animated series for Netflix, as well as comics based on it (see “'Voltron: Legendary Defender' Comics”), is executive producing alongside Bret Haaland. Vin Diesel, Neal Moritz, and Chris Morgan will also executive produce.

Amazon Studios has added two Jonathan Hickman comics to their development plans. East of West and Transhuman are being developed for hour-long series by Hickman and Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead) reports Deadline. Both writers will executive produce, the latter under Skybound Entertainment’s first-look deal with Amazon (see “Robert Kirkman Leaves AMC”). Series artist Nick Dragotta will also executive produce East of West, which will be written by Hickman. Artist J.M. Ringuet will executive produce Transhuman, with a search for a writer reportedly underway.