Netflix doesn’t have a good track record of renewing shows. Any series that doesn’t have the worldwide appeal of Stranger Things or Wednesday can find itself on the chopping block. Just look at GLOW, the beloved series about female wrestlers that was canceled after its third season despite securing a Season 4 renewal. But at least GLOW made it through three seasons because other shows on the streaming platform weren’t as lucky. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance only made it through one season, as not even critical acclaim could save it, and The OA only got two cracks at it.
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The only silver lining is that being part of a canceled project doesn’t mean all the creative teams have to stop working. They can keep coming up with unique stories and hope somebody bites. That’s certainly how it’s working out for one filmmaking duo that is working on a major project for one of Netflix’s biggest competitors. From the sound of it, this new venture will follow in the footsteps of their previous one, which will hopefully breathe new life into a canceled show that deserves as many eyeballs on it as possible.
Netflix Canceled One of the Best Comedy Series in Recent Memory
It’s no secret that true crime shows and documentaries have been all the rage in recent years. Recently, the haunting The Perfect Neighbor hit Netflix’s top 10, and it seems people can’t get enough of a story about a major crime happening in what should be a relatively peaceful area. Well, back in 2017, Dan Perrault and Tony Yacenda dropped their spoof of shows like Making a Murderer called American Vandal. The premise was simple: a group of kids would document a minor crime in their background as if it were something far more nefarious.
The first season was a smash hit, with critics and fans alike adoring its meta humor and a standout performance from Jimmy Tatro. Season 2 took an even bigger swing by sending the team to a Catholic high school, where someone put laxatives in the lemonade during lunch. With a story like that, American Vandal‘s sophomore outing could’ve easily gone off the rails and paved the way for cancellation, but it struck a nice balance between potty humor and social commentary. Unfortunately, despite earning 98% on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer and being nominated for an Emmy, American Vandal was two-and-done. That’s not the end of the story, though, as Perrault and Yacenda are back in a big way.
James Gunn Sees Potential in the Creators of American Vandal
Seven years after getting the boot from Netflix, Perrault and Yacenda are working together again, this time for HBO Max. James Gunn has put them in charge of the Jimmy Olsen TV series, DC Crime, a spinoff of 2025’s Superman. The show will throw Jimmy into the fire as he documents the comings and goings of bad guys in the DC Universe. His first assignment will put him against Gorilla Grodd, a Flash villain who knows a thing or two about getting people to hang on his every word. While DC Crime isn’t likely to feature a bunch of poop jokes, it’s sure to borrow its style of humor from American Vandal, just with a bit of superhero flair thrown into the mix.
DC Crime is still in the early stages of development, so there’s no way to know whether the showrunners plan to bring back any familiar faces from their Netflix show. However, there must be room for Tatro, who feels like a fit for a Gunn franchise, despite never having collaborated with the filmmaker before. He might be a tough sell as Grodd, but there have to be other roles that fit his particular set of skills.
American Vandal is streaming on Netflix.
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Image courtesy of Focus Features.
