The Big Picture

  • Netflix has a history of cancelling shows too quickly, leaving fans without a proper conclusion and missing out on potential growth.
  • Shows like The Get Down, Fate: The Winx Saga, and The Society were cancelled by Netflix despite having strong potential and loyal fan bases.
  • The cancellations of popular shows like I Am Not Okay With This and The Irregulars due to the pandemic and lack of renewal are disappointing for fans who want to see these shows continue.

With the streaming war and the quest for marketable content well underway, streaming services are trying their hardest to find their next big show. The race for content is here to stay, and with that, many shows never get the chance they deserve, seeing their time in the limelight fade quickly. Netflix is probably the guiltiest of that. Over the years, Netflix has canceled many shows too quickly, never allowing them to grow from word of mouth and leaving those who had watched them from the beginning hanging without a proper conclusion. The list of cancelled shows by Netflix is long, but some hurt more than others. Here are shows that Netflix just gave up on too quickly and deserved another season.

The Get Down (2016-2017)

Justice Smith and cast members of 'The Get Down'
Image via Netflix

A group of teenagers finds themselves at the center of the rise of hip-hop and disco music in the 1970s. The group must find a way to balance their love for music and their desire to make it out of The Bronx while also trying to survive the life that their circumstances seem to be leading them towards.

The Get Down was Baz Luhrmann’s baby, a show he spent more than a decade trying to make. He put all of his time and efforts in and was poised to be Netflix’s next big thing. At the time, The Get Down was the streaming service's most expensive show, having cost around $120 million to make, exceeding the $7.5 million that the show was initially supposed to cost them.

Released in two parts, the first — and only — season had a lot of expectations, not only because of the person behind it, but also because of the massive budget. Less than a month after releasing the second part, Netflix announced that the show would not return. It was understandable but still disappointing, since The Get Down was incredible in all aspects and deserved a second chance to conclude the story it was trying to tell. — Arianne Binette

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Everything Sucks! (2018)

Sydney Sweeney looking at a mirror in Everything Sucks
Image via Netflix

When a member of the A/V club destroys the Drama Club’s set for this year's play, the two clubs join together to film a movie. Through the filming, the teenagers are forced to deal with their issues such as finding their sexualities, mental health, and growing up.

After the release of Stranger Things, banking on nostalgia was something that many shows tried their hand at. Not all succeeded, but a few found a way to be original in the wave of it. Everything Sucks! was a prime example of that, banking on nostalgia while also trying to be authentic in many ways. It tried to tackle important subjects representing what most go through in high school. It was a breath of fresh air and had the flavor of shows like Freaks and Geeks or even Dawson’s Creek.

It was a show that got better and better with every episode and perfectly set up the second season it never got, a show that had the potential to be around for a long time, with a lot of the characters being first-year students in the first season. It was another example of Netflix simply giving up on a great concept instead of letting it maybe grow into something bigger and better. — Arianne Binette

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The Society (2019)

Kathryn Newton with two other teenagers aiming their guns at someone in 'The Society'
Image via Netflix

When everyone in their town disappears, a group of teenagers must learn how to run their community. Incapable of contacting anyone with a telephone or the Internet, the teenagers must create their own rules to survive on the limited resources that the town has. The teenagers find themselves trapped in their town after a dense forest appears around it and the outside world no longer exists.

The Society, unlike most shows on this list, was quite popular and had a very active following after the first season premiered. It even got a second season renewal, with the cast making a video announcement to reveal it. It looked great for the show's future until the pandemic happened. This forced Netflix to backtrack on its renewal; the pandemic had taken a toll on their budget. With the struggle to find a way to schedule the cast with the uncertainty that the pandemic brought, the streaming service had to decide what to do with the show.

To this day, the show's fans continue to petition for the show to come back. Their love for it never flattered, and while the chances of a revival are slim, they will not hear of it. It is one of those cancellations that, looking back, still make no sense since it was so popular, but the pandemic's uncertainty created an environment where the cancellation made all the sense in the world. — Arianne Binette

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I Am Not Okay With This (2020)

Sophia Lillis in Netflix's 'I Am Not Okay with This'
Image via Netflix

Sydney must navigate the trials and tribulations of high school while also dealing with her complicated family dynamics, sexuality, and the mysterious superpowers that have started manifesting within her.

From the producers of Stranger Things and The End of the F***ing World, I Am Not Okay With This was praised when it was released and looked like it would have a long run. Based on the comics of the same name, I Am Not Okay With This was poised to bring the fans of both shows together. And for the most part, the first season was a success. The performances were praised, and the show was popular on social media. Still, just like The Society, instead of renewal like everyone expected, Netflix decided to cancel the show because of the pandemic.

This was the second time Netflix canceled a successful show because of the pandemic, opening the possibility of more shows finding themselves canceled. The cancellation was surprising, mainly because of the team behind the show, a team that had worked with Netflix previously. On top of that, I Am Not Okay With This was popular, and many believed the show to have already been not only renewed but that the second season was already almost done being written. — Arianne Binette

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Julie and the Phantoms (2020)

Madison Reyes in 'Julie and the Phantoms'
Image via Netflix

When Julie, a teenage girl who has a passion for music, meets a group of teenage boys in her mom’s old studio, she finds herself surprised when she realizes that they have been dead for the past 25 years. Together, they try to figure out what happened and bring each other closer by doing what they all love the most: playing music.

Julie and The Phantoms was one of those shows that arrived without much fanfare, but soon gathered a small but dedicated fanbase over the few months. It lived in limbo. And that fanbase was vocal about wanting the show to continue. While it was marketed for a younger audience, Julie and The Phantoms found itself adored by the generation that had followed creator Kenny Ortega since his High School Musical days.

It wasn’t surprising when Ortega broke the news that the show would not be coming back after a year of no words about a second season. It was, however, disconcerting that it took so long to know what most fans of the show already guessed. This show had a positive message, a following, and actually grew over time, and yet, Netflix still decided to stop it before it even had a chance to start. — Arianne Binette

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The Irregulars (2021)

Darcy Shaw, Jojo Macari, and more in 'The Irregulars'
Image via Netflix

In Victorian London, a group of street teenagers is manipulated into solving crimes for the sinister Doctor Watson and his mysterious business partner, the well-known Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock Holmes adaptations are not new; they have been done repeatedly, to the point where there is market saturation. The difference was that The Irregulars decided to do something different with its subject. Instead of focusing on Holmes and Watson, it made them supporting characters and focused on kids, making Holmes and Watson antagonists in their story. It was original and intriguing to watch, a show that diverted expectations and brought supernatural elements to a setting we already knew.

The show was rumored to be renewed, with reports that it would start filming during the summer, until Netflix announced in May 2021 that they had cancelled the series. No reasons were given why they had decided to cancel the show, but with the number of shows that the streaming service had released during that year, it was clear that The Irregulars got lost in the grand scheme of things. It's a shame because the show had a lot of potential and the possibilities were endless in terms of story with how much world-building had been done during its first season. — Arianne Binette

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1899 (2022)

Lucas Lynggarde Tonnesen in '1899'
Image via Netflix

1899 follows the crew and passengers aboard a steamship named Kerberos and the mysterious events that unravel on deck as they embark on a voyage from Europe to New York. The promise of a bright and promising future at a new destination suddenly turns bleak when they encounter another emigrating ship adrift at sea. Their unexpected nightmarish discovery sets off a chain of mysterious events that leaves Kerberos' passengers frightened to their bones, giving rise to more questions than they can answer.

The mind-bending show was created by the team behind Dark, Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar. It was clearly planned to span multiple seasons, as the Season 1 finale left many unanswered questions. However, that was not to be; Netflix announced the cancellation of the series in January 2023. With the revelation in the finale that the whole thing was part of a simulation, a second season would've likely been an entirely different show. It would've been interesting to see what Friese and bo Odar had in store for our characters, but sadly, now we'll never know. — Abby Cavenaugh

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The Midnight Club (2022)

'The Midnight Club' cast members in Episode 7
Image via Netflix

Mike Flanagan and Leah Fong’s The Midnight Club follows a group of terminal young adults spending the last months of their lives together at a hospice. To help them pass the time and deal with their very complicated issues, the patients of Brightcliffe gather around in the library every night, just as the clock marks midnight. There is a pact among the patients, through which they promise to send signs from the beyond when they die, but the Midnight Club is mostly about telling horror stories. It's an anthology series in a way, and some of the stories are truly terrifying.

The series ends with a classic cliffhanger, which, due to the show's cancellation, we'll never know the resolution for. According to Flanagan, the series was meant to last multiple seasons. "This is the first time we've ever designed anything to be ongoing," he told Collider. "And it's strange, it's a whole new vibe, because you want the season to wrap up and be satisfying. But you need to leave enough on the field that people might want to come back." Just before the cancellation, Flanagan announced that he'd signed a deal with Amazon Studios, though it's not clear if this had anything to do with The Midnight Club's cancellation. — Abby Cavenaugh

The Midnight Club Netflix Poster
The Midnight Club

At a manor with a mysterious history, eight members of the Midnight Club meet each night at midnight to tell sinister stories -- and to look for signs of the supernatural from the beyond.

Release Date
October 7, 2022
Cast
Iman Benson , Igby Rigney , Ruth Codd , Annarah Cymone
Main Genre
Horror
Seasons
1

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Lockwood & Co. (2023)

Ali Hadji-Heshmati, Cameron Chapman, and Ruby Stokes as George, Anthony, and Lucy in Lockwood & Co
Image via Netflix

Much like the Ghostbusters, Lucy Carlyle (Ruby Stokes), Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman), and George Karim (Ali Hadji-Heshmati) have ghost-busting agency in Lockwood & Co. Specialized in taking down deadly spirits, these teenagers must try their best to save the day by themselves.

Based on Jonathan Stroud's YA novels, this supernatural investigative Netflix series had a lot of potential but was unfortunately canceled after Season 1. According to Variety, the reason it wasn't picked up for Season 2 was because the viewership didn't meet the threshold. Although the series did reach the top spot in over 18 countries on the week of the show's release, weeks two and three saw a drop in views. Yet, members of the Lock Nation know that numbers shouldn't be the determining factor when it comes to deciding to renew a genuinely good series like this one. — Isabella Soares

Lockwood & Co. Netflix Poster
Lockwood & Co.

A girl with psychic abilities joins two teen boys a the ghost-hunting agency Lockwood & Co. to fight the deadly spirits plaguing London, doing their best to save the day without any adult supervision.

Release Date
January 27, 2023
Cast
Ruby Stokes , Cameron Chapman , Ali Hadji-Heshmati , Jack Bandeira
Main Genre
Adventure
Seasons
1

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Fate: The Winx Saga (2021-2022)

The cast of Fate: The Winx Saga
Image via Netflix

Five fairies create a bond while attending a prestigious magic boarding school called Alfaea, where they are encouraged to enhance their superpowers. As Bloom (Abigail Cowen), Stella (Hannah van der Westhuysen), Musa (Elisha Applebaum), Aisha (Precious Mustapha), and Terra (Eliot Salt) feel more comfortable with their own supernatural abilities, they also experience the ups and downs of love and friendship.

The Winx Club, a Nickelodeon animated series that used to be a hit in the mid-2000s, was a comfort watch for many kids who grew up seeing it on cable TV. When Netflix first announced that they would create a live-action inspired by the beloved Winx Club, the news became an immediate attention-grabber. Once Fate: The Winx Saga came out, there was an established fandom, with viewership surpassing 151 million in its first 28 days on the streaming service. Despite the show's following, it only lasted for two seasons. Although the reason behind the cancellation was never unveiled, it is sad that a series with so much potential didn't get a proper closure like many others on this list. — Isabella Soares

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The Chair (2021)

Ji-Yoon presiding over a meeting in The Chair.
Image via Netflix

Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim is the newly appointed Chair of the English department at Pembroke University, and the new title doesn't rest lightly on her shoulders. As the first woman to ascend to this role and one of the few people of color who are part of the faculty, Dr. Kim must deal with the pressures that come with leadership while raising her adopted daughter and getting romantically involved with a colleague.

From Christina Yang to Eve Polastri, Sandra Oh has delivered a fair share of memorable performances on TV. The Chair was no different, allowing Oh to tap into her comedic side while still making room to address topics that are relevant in the academic environment. However, her performance alone wasn't enough to keep this Netflix original rolling. Showrunner Amanda Peet was the one to share the news in early January about the show not getting picked up for a Season 2, despite her and Oh wanting to keep the series going. — Isabella Soares

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Warrior Nun (2020-2022)

Alba Baptista in the Warrior Nun poster
Image via Netflix

Warrior Nun was originally on this list following its cancellation soon after the show's Season 2 premiered on Netflix. However, in a recent turn of events, the supernatural project will get its much-deserved grand finale. Although the series was canceled in December 2022, Warrior Nun will return to the streaming service in the form of a movie trilogy, much to the fans' demand. Based on the comic book series by Ben Dunn, the Netflix original follows Ava Silva (Alba Baptista), a girl who wakes up in a morgue and accidentally inherits some superpowers, which she uses to help save the world from demons. — Isabella Soares

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Rebelde (2022)

The Rebelde cast in the Netflix series
Image via Netflix

Much like Fate:The Winx Saga brought back the feels for people who grew up watching The Winx Club, Netflix's adaptation of Rebelde also hit fans in the right spot. With the iconic intro song and references to the previous versions of show (especially the all-time Mexican hit), the coming-of-age series was entertaining while it lasted. Even though the series did see the light of day with a Season 2, it was canceled right after that. No formal announcements were made confirming the cancellation, other than an interview with Rebelde's alum Sergio Mayer Mori in which he shared that there wouldn't be a Season 3. The series was centered on a new generation of students at the Elite Way School, known for its prestigious music program. Amidst lots of talent and the competitive nature of the school, the protagonists go on a journey to find their voice, fall in love, and get closer to their colleagues throughout their time at the boarding school. — Isabella Soares

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Shadow and Bone (2021-2023)

Ben Barnes as The Darkling and Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov in Shadow and Bone Season 2
Image via Netflix

After two seasons, there is no future for Grishaverse on Netflix. Based on Leigh Bardugo's successful book series, Shadow and Bone follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) as she inherits superpowers that could lead her to protect the universe from dark creatures. When Netflix announced that the fantasy project would no longer return for Season 3, it came as a surprise given that the series' showrunners were already brainstorming a spinoff centered on the Six of Crows (which, unfortunately, will no longer see the light of day). The adaptation to the screen was a hit in 2021 and, according to data from the streaming service, the series also garnered more than 55 million views upon Season 2's release. Since popularity and views didn't seem like an issue for this Netflix original, the reason for the cancellation remains a mystery. — Isabella Soares

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Partner Track (2022)

Arden Cho in 'Partner Track'
Image via Netflix

This short-lived series was a perfect comfort watch for fans of Suits. Partner Track only had one season, but it was able to give both a soapy romance and legal jargon to keep viewers hooked from start to finish. The project was focused on Ingrid Yun (Arden Cho), a Korean-American lawyer in an elite Manhattan firm awaiting the chance to finally become junior partner. As she tries to show her boss her potential in the workplace, Ingrid also gets in the middle of a messy love triangle involving her work rival and a sought-after New York billionaire. Deadline reported that even though the series had a modest budget, and Netflix had already commissioned a writer's room to work on Season 2, the legal drama wasn't renewed by the streaming service. — Isabella Soares

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