Nowadays, Netflix really seems to have a knack for cancelling critically and commercially acclaimed originals. There was once a time when cancellation of these streaming services shows was a rarity, however, this has unfortunately become an all too familiar reality.
Netflix’s most recent and controversial cancellation (which also happens to be my favourite show) was Mindhunter. The show follows FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they attempt to understand and catch serial killers by studying their damaged psyches, thus pioneering the development of the modern serial-killer profiling. The real-life murder cases featured on the series included Ed Kemper, Charles Manson, the Atlanta child murders, and more. After the first two seasons, the show was put on an ‘indefinite hold’ and the actors were released from their contractual obligations. Although the show hasn’t been definitively cancelled, critically-acclaimed director David Fincher said that there aren’t any plans to produce a third season, citing production costs and a tedious work week as factors for the show’s demise. Fincher, however, recently signed a five-year contract with the streaming service, solidifying a potential future for the show in the long run. Hope is not yet lost!
While executives must determine which series are bringing in the most new subscribers and viewership, check here to see if your favourite Netflix show is on the chopping block.
- “G.L.O.W”
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Synopsis: “Set in Los Angeles during the 1980s, an unemployed actress hopes to find stardom by portraying a female wrestler.”
Number of Seasons: Three
Critic score: 92%
Audience score: 86%
- “Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj”
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Synopsis: “‘Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj’ will explore the modern cultural and political landscape with depth and sincerity. Each week, Minhaj will bring his unique comedic voice and storytelling skill to investigate larger trends shaping our fragmented world.”
Number of Seasons: Six
Audience score: 82%
- “The Society”
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Synopsis: “‘The Society’ follows a group of teenagers who are mysteriously transported to a facsimile of their wealthy New England town, left without any trace of their parents. As they struggle to figure out what has happened to them and how to get home, they must establish order and form alliances if they want to survive.”
Number of Seasons: One
Critics score: 86%
Audience score: 78%
- “I Am Not Okay With This”
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Synopsis: “‘I Am Not Okay With This’ is an irreverent origin story that follows a teenage girl who’s navigating the trials and tribulations of high school, all while dealing with the complexities of her family, her budding sexuality, and mysterious superpowers just beginning to awaken deep within her.”
Number of Seasons: One
Critics score: 87%
Audience score: 85%
- “Teenage Bounty Hunters”
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Synopsis: “Rebelling against their buttoned-up Southern community, sixteen-year-old fraternal twin sisters Sterling and Blair Wesley team up with veteran bounty hunter Bowser Jenkins for an over-the-top adventure as they dive into the world of bail skipping baddies and suburban secret while trying to navigate high school drama — love, sex, and study hall.”
Number of Seasons: One
Critics score: 92%
Audience score: 95%
- “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”
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Synopsis: “Imagines the origin and adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror, the occult and, of course, witchcraft.”
Number of seasons: Three, cancelled after the upcoming fourth
Critics score: 84%
Audience score: 72%
- “Dark”
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Synopsis: “Dark is set in a German town in the present day where the disappearance of two young children exposes the double lives and fractured relationships among four families.”
Number of seasons: Three, cancelled after the upcoming fourth
Critics score: 95%
Audience score: 95%
While the list of shows that Netflix cancels continues to grow, it isn’t surprising how much content the streaming service continues to produce. However, it’s been proved that no show is immune to cancellation, no matter how popular or critically-acclaimed.