10 Cancelled Netflix Shows That Are Still Worth Watching

Unfortunately, life as a fan means that we sometimes see television series we love come to an end far too soon. There was a time when we could rely on streaming platforms like Netflix to show up, save the day, and revive a beloved series. But those moments are few and far between, as Netflix has been increasingly cancelling shows ahead of their time. Sometimes it’s a numbers game, but other cancellations are a mystery that still hurts to this day. Regardless of the reason, there are so many shows that ended far too soon that are still worth binge-watching.

Most of us have had to say goodbye to a series we loved. Even shows with a committed fandom aren’t immune to the cancellation bug. While fans would give anything to see another season or two of these amazing series, at least they still hold up as they are. It’s good to remember that we were lucky to have these series at all, right?

1) Lockwood and Co.

Lockwood and Co. is still the perfect series for any fan craving a supernatural thriller/mystery. The series is based on Jonathan Stroud’s novels, and it had the framework for success. It could have kicked off like Stranger Things (and that’s probably the standard Netflix held it to). The story is set in a world where ghosts are real, but only children and teens can see them.

That makes ghost-hunting slightly problematic, for obvious reasons. Enter Lockwood and Co., a detective agency full of teens determined to handle ghosts and ghoulies. The company is really three teens: Lucy Carlyle, Anthony Lockwood, and George Karim.

Lockwood and Co. only got one season before its untimely cancellation. This season covered the first two novels in Stroud’s series, The Screaming Staircase and The Whispering Skull. So at least new fans can know where to pick up after they finish binge-watching Season One. Lockwood and Co. starred Ruby Stokes, Cameron Chapman, and Ali Hadji-Heshmati.

2) Archive 81

Supernatural horror fans immediately took note of Archive 81, a 2022 Netflix series. The series is based on a podcast of the same name and revolves around two characters. Melody’s story hails from 1994 and is told through recorded tapes (documentary style). On the flip side is Dan, stuck in the present and left digging through the trail she left behind.

In case the mystery wasn’t clear, Melody went missing sometime during or after her recordings, all of which centered around a secret and dangerous cult. Archive 81 was a haunting series from start to finish. It had solid ratings across the board, and fans were eager to see what the story had to say.

Archive 81 may have had solid ratings and viewer counts, but that wasn’t enough to save it from cancellation. The series only got one season before meeting its end.

3) Santa Clarita Diet

Who doesn’t love a good zombie comedy? Unfortunately for fans, Santa Clarita Diet got cancelled in 2019. This dark comedy was a different take on the zombie trope, and it offered a lot of fun adventures while it lasted. The story follows the Hammond family, who have their entire lives uprooted when Sheila Hammond is turned into a zombie. Awkward. She may still be a real estate agent, but her craving for flesh will only get stronger with each passing day.

Santa Clarita Diet is full of surprises, starting with the concept of suburban life meets zom-com. The series starred Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant, which should have given it another boost. This is one dedicated family, as they cover Sheila’s condition and immediately begin searching for a cure.

Despite the show’s popularity and high ratings, Santa Clarita Diet was cancelled after the third season. Worse, the series does end on a cliffhanger, but don’t let that stop you from diving in.

4) First Kill

Fans of Victoria Schwab had been counting down the days for First Kill, an adaptation of her short story of the same name. It’s a supernatural teen drama that pits a vampire slayer against a vampire, but with a few twists. Think star-crossed lovers with a supernatural setting.

Juliette Fairmont was born and raised as part of a proud vampire family. With her sixteenth birthday on the horizon, it’s expected she’ll make her first kill and take her place among the family. Unfortunately, the heart wants what the heart wants, and her heart wants Callipe Burns. Little does she know (at first), the Calliope belongs to a long line of vampire hunters, and she needs to make a name for herself.

5) Shadow and Bone

Fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels will be quick to declare that the series was done dirty right from the start. While we were all thrilled to finally see this beloved world come to life, there was one glaring problem: it was combining two series into one. Shadow and Bone is technically both the Shadow and Bone series and the Six of Crows duology. That’s a confusing choice, especially given how different the casts and plots are.

Despite that odd choice, Shadow and Bone Season One hit hard, and fans instantly fell in love with the adaptation. The Crow Club stood out as a highlight for many, having fans beg (once again) for a spin-off series revolving around that cast. Sadly, Season Two went downhill, resulting in poor numbers and an early cancellation.

Shadow and Bone ran for two seasons, telling a tale of a magical world with high stakes. It has an expansive cast, including Jessie Mei Li, Ben Barnes, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, and Kit Young.

6) Inside Job

Another series that got unfair treatment from Netflix is Inside Job, an animated sci-fi comedy, and it really is one of a kind. The series had a strong sitcom feel, following a group of ragtag employees responsible for cleaning up the world’s biggest conspiracy theories.

Inside Job is a workplace comedy all about conspiracy theories, such as lizard people, flat Earth, and aliens. It pokes fun at pretty much everything, and fans enjoyed the laughs it offered. Inside Job starred a broad cast of characters, including Lizzy Caplan, Christian Slater, Clark Duke, Tisha Campbell, John DiMaggio, Bobby Lee, and Brett Gelman.

Netflix released Inside Job’s only season in two parts, and originally greenlit the series for a second season. Unfortunately, they backtracked on that announcement after the first season was released, leaving us all stuck on a cliffhanger.

7) Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency combines science fiction with comedy and mystery, and that means there was a lot to love about this series. The series is based on Douglas Adams’ novels of the same name, adding to the list of reasons to love this show.

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency follows the titular character, Dirk Gently. He’s a holistic detective, or so he claims, digging into obscure cases all over. He makes a few friends and allies along the way, not to mention some enemies, such as a holistic assassin (irony, right?).

Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency only ran for two seasons before it was cancelled. Both seasons had decent ratings and solid numbers, so it was a bit of a surprise for viewers. The series starred Samual Barnett, Elija Wood, Hannah Marks, Jade Eshete, and Fiona Dourif.

8) Warrior Nun

Sometimes, a series can quietly be cancelled; other times, the cancellation kicks up a fuss that never really quiets down. The latter is the case for Warrior Nun, a Netflix original that ran for two seasons before getting cancelled in 2023. Fans had so much to say about this that a revival trilogy is in the works, much like the tale of Firefly’s success.

Warrior Nun is an adaptation of Ben Dunn’s comic character, Warrior Nun Areala. The story follows Ava Silva (Alba Baptista), a 19-year-old who wakes up in the morgue to a world of problems—and power. After a divine artifact is embedded into her body (that had once been lifeless, mind you), Ava becomes part of the Order of the Cruciform Sword, aka the Warrior Nuns.

Warrior Nun ran for two seasons, or 18 episodes, before it was cancelled. The show was highly popular, so news of cancellation came as quite a shock. It stars Alba Baptista, Toya Turner, Lorena Andrea, Tonteri-Young, Sylvia De Fanti and Tristán Ulloa.

9) Fate: The Winx Saga

Some fans may remember Winx Club, an animated series from the early 2000s. Well, those fans helped make a live-action adaptation a reality. Fate: The Winx Saga hit Netflix in January 2021, and a ton of fans flocked to see the adventures.

Fate: The Winx Saga introduces a group of fairies, including Bloom, Aisha, Terra, Sterlla, and Musa, who all attend a magical boarding school in the Otherworld. While they learn, a threat looms on the horizon, as the Burned Ones want to destroy everything the Otherworld stands for.

Fans were thrilled to get two seasons of Fate: The Winx Saga, though it was sadly cancelled after that. On the bright side, the intended story continued in graphic novel format (available from Mad Cave Studios). The series starred Abigail Cowen, Hannah van der Westhuysen, Precious Mustapha, Eliot Salt, and Elisha Applebaum.

10) Altered Carbon

Unsurprisingly, people have been craving more sci-fi tales these days, including cyberpunk-themed adventures. That brings us to Altered Carbon, a series based on Richard K. Morgan’s novel of the same name.

The story takes place 300-plus years into the future, where memories and consciousness can be recorded and moved around at will. In this world, Takeshi Kovas is a soldier turned investigator, and he’s responsible for solving a murder. Interestingly, because of the core premise, the series was able to swap out the leading role for the second season.

Altered Carbon ran for two seasons before being cancelled. It does have an anime set before the first season. It starred Joel Kinnaman, Anthony Mackie, James Purefoy, Martha Higareda, Chris Conner, and many more.

What is your favorite Netflix series that got cancelled ahead of its time?

10 Best Netflix Shows to Binge in One Weekend