As we all know by now, Netflix has developed something of a bad habit when it comes to cancelling TV shows. Not every show is going to be a success, but the rhyme and reason for handing a show the ax has changed in the world of streaming. A new show on Netflix will sometimes launch with very little advertising and then get cancelled a month or two later, just as people are starting to find it on their own. Sometimes, a great show with seemingly good viewership will just get cancelled or “come to an end” in its third season because some streaming production deals call for big pay increases in Season 4, and Netflix wants to avoid the higher fees whenever possible.
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The new world of streaming has opened up a lot of doors, but many of those doors have been shut all too quickly, especially at Netflix. Some shows just aren’t built to last, but this new model for online TV has cost fans plenty of great series over the last several years.
With all that in mind, we decided to take a look at all of the shows Netflix has cancelled early (in its first three seasons), and put together a list of the very best of those titles. You know, the shows we’ve all been saying for years had no business coming to an end?ย
From American Vandal to Mindhunter, here are the best Netflix shows that deserved a longer life.
Honorable Mentions
The Marvel Netflix Universe
The gritty, street-level universe of Marvel heroes on Netflix was widely loved by fans and provided a nice break from the optimistic and largely family friendly fare of the MCU. This dark and violent exploration of Marvel was perfect for characters like Daredevil and the Punisher, and the franchise delivered some of the best Marvel casting we’ve seen to-date.
These shows are only being included in the honorable mentions because there’s no indication that Netflix had any choice in the matter when it came to cancelling them. Disney wanted the characters in the MCU and Marvel Television as a whole was folded into Kevin Feige’s Marvel Studios.ย
Tuca & Bertie and One Day at a Time
Both One Day at a Time and Tuca & Bertie are shows that many consider among Netflix’s best, and it’s a shame the streaming service pulled the plug on them. Tuca & Bertie was never given the chance to find an audience while One Day at a Time was a very affordable hit that a lot of people loved.
The reason these shows are here in the honorable mentions is because they were ultimately rescued by TV networks. Pop TV renewed One Day at a Time after Netflix cancelled it, while Adult Swim swooped in and saved Tuca & Bertie.
American Vandal
Let’s just go ahead and get the most egregious Netflix cancellation out of the way right now. American Vandal is an actual television treasure that seemed to arrive at the perfect time. Five years later, American Vandal‘s cancellation is still as puzzling as ever.
If you’re not familiar, American Vandal is a mockumentary series that satirizes the ever-popular true crime format. The first season follows a duo of high school filmmakers trying to get to the bottom of a prank that got a senior expelled just days before graduation, while Season 2 sees them uncover a web of social media bullying at a Catholic school that resulted in a widespread case of diarrhea. The plots are ridiculous on the surface, but there hasn’t been a show since American Vandal that has more accurately explored the anxieties and insecurities of modern day teenagers. It’s also relentlessly hilarious and nails the tone of the true crime documentaries that Netflix was quickly becoming famous for when the show was released.
American Vandal was a critical darling, earning an Emmy nomination and winning a Peabody Award. With its mockumentary style and lack of any notable stars, it cost next to nothing to produce. American Vandal could’ve run for a decade and still not cost as much as just a season or two of most Netflix originals. How to you cancel such a sure thing after just two seasons? Make it make sense!
Sense8
Like many other things made by Lana and Lilly Wachowski, Sense8 didn’t get the immediate reception that it deserved. It’s a shame, because there still hasn’t been anything on TV quite like Sense8 since it was cancelled, especially when it comes to queer representation.
Sense8 is a sci-fi series that the Wachowskis created with J. Michael Straczynski. It’s wild to think a show with such a powerhouse creative team got the boot after just two seasons. Unfortunately, this is one of the many LGBTQIA+ shows on Netflix to receive a quick cancellation.
At least Sense8 got the opportunity to finish out its story. Netflix canceled the series after its second season, which ended with a cliffhanger, leaving fans without any sense of resolution. There wouldn’t be a third season but negotiations did lead to a feature film that wrapped the story up, giving fans a proper ending.
The Get Down
Speaking of shows from brilliant creators that didn’t get an opportunity to thrive, how do you not give Baz Luhrmann more than one season to find an audience?
Luhrmann, the director of Elvis, made a wonderful show called The Get Down that debuted back in 2016. Set in the Bronx in the 1970s, The Get Down explores the rise of hip-hop and disco. Like most of Luhrmann’s work, The Get Down is visually stunning, and there are so many expertly choreographed music sequences.ย
The Get Down also boasts an all-star cast, though some of its stars didn’t become very well-known until after the show was released. The cast includes Shameik Moore, Justice Smith, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mamoudou Athie, and Daveed Diggs. Looking back, it’s tough to believe a cast this loaded wouldn’t make for a major hit.
GLOW
GLOW got three full seasons on Netflix, but that doesn’t make its cancellation sting any less. The wrestling drama was one of the many unfortunate victims of the pandemic.
Starring Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin, GLOW depicts the rise of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, a promotion featuring solely women in the spotlight. With an incredible cast that always brought their A-game, and some very sharp writing, GLOW was considered to be one of the very best shows on Netflix throughout its three-season run.
Netflix had renewed GLOW for a fourth season, which was meant to be the final installment of the acclaimed series. When the pandemic shut down productions around the world, Netflix reversed its decision and canceled GLOW, leaving the series without the ending that it initially been promised.
I Am Not Okay With This
GLOW wasn’t the only Netflix series to have its fortunes reversed as a result of the pandemic in 2020. I Am Not Okay With This, starring IT breakouts Sophia Lillis and Wyatt Oleff, was renewed for a second season after its first installment debuted to widespread critical acclaim. The pandemic caused Netflix to change course and simply end the show after one season.
Based on a graphic novel from Charles Forsman, I Am Not Okay With This is a dark comedy series about a teenage girl trying to manage her anger and grief after the loss of her father. Over the course of the first season, it’s revealed that the lead character has telekinetic powers, ramping up to an explosive finale that set the stage for a very exciting second season. Sadly, we’ll never get to see it.
1899
In 2017, German filmmakers Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar delivered an eerie and twist-filled series called Dark. The Netflix original drew instant comparisons to Stranger Things and became a substantial hit for the streamer around the globe.
After three seasons of Dark, the duo of Friese and Odar returned to Netflix for another mystery thriller,ย 1899. The same vibe as Dark, with equally as intriguing premise, 1899 had the makings to be another thrilling psychological adventure that would keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Netflix clearly wasn’t satisfied with the early returns.
Just two months after it premiered, 1899 was canceled by Netflix, ending its story after just one season.
The Baby-Sitters Club
We’ve seen Netflix find massive success with affordable dramedies aimed at predominantly female audiences. Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias have been enormous hits for the streamer over the course of multiple seasons. The Baby-Sitters Club is the teenage version of those shows, drawing from a popular book series and telling thoughtful stories about modern young women.
Given the success that those shows aimed at adult audiences have found over the years, Netflix’s cancellation of The Baby-Sitters Club is a real head-scratcher. This is a show that a lot of girls watched and enjoyed through its first two seasons. It seemed to find a solid audience amongst some adults as well.ย
Netflix left money on the table with this one.ย
Santa Clarita Diet
A show starring Timothy Olyphant and Drew Barrymore as married realtors navigating life as one of them slowly becomes a zombie should, as a rule, get no less than 25 seasons. This is one of those situations where a great idea was put in the hands of the only two performers who could execute it perfectly, and Netflix brought the ax down way too soon.
Not only were Barrymore and Olyphant a match made in heaven for Santa Clarita Diet, but they were given a pair of incredible young co-stars in Liv Hewson and Skyler Gisondo.
Santa Clarita Diet is the kind of show you could see getting a real run on a network like FX a few years back, especially with such a great cast leading the way. It’s a shame three seasons is all we’ll ever get.
Teenage Bounty Hunters
Teenage Bounty Hunters is a unique series about twin sisters who get involved with the bounty hunting underworld without their parents knowing. They have to navigate their violent work and everyday teenage lives simultaneously.
This is the kind of teen-oriented series that seems tailor-made for a streaming service like Netflix. It’s something young audiences haven’t seen before, putting people their age in the middle of some action while consistently delivering laughs and sentimental moments. It’s the kind of show that develops an audience over time, with new fans discovering it on a regular basis as they hit the right age.
But, as we’ve learned, Netflix isn’t very good at letting shows take their time. The series was canceled just two months after its first season premiered. It never had much of a chance to succeed.
Mindhunter
There may not be a Netflix series that gets more requests for a new season than Mindhunter. Not a week has gone by since Mindhunter ended that there hasn’t been a section of fans online asking Netflix and David Fincher for more. Every member of the cast is asked about Mindhunter Season 3 in just about every interview they conduct, regardless of what the interview is actually for.
So far, those wishes have not been granted. Despite its critical success and wide-reaching fanbase, Mindhunter went on a hiatus after its second season while Fincher pursued other projects. It seemed as though there was a plan for the band to get back together at some point, but Netflix has since confirmed that Mindhunter is over.
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Image Courtesy of Netflix
