Netflix Series Canceled Before Their Time

Netflix Series Canceled Before Their Time

It's beyond undebatable that Netflix has changed the way we watch TV. We don't even really call it "watching TV" anymore. We say that we're going to go home and just watch some Netflix. 

In recent years, we've come to love some of Netflix's original programming. Sometimes it's the original movies, sometimes it's the comedy specials, but generally, it's the original series that we keep coming back to.

Maybe you're really into Orange is the New Black or Ozark or you're just dying to see what Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is all about. We often think about these Netflix shows as lasting forever, but what about the ones that have already seen their last episode? Sure, we can stream the episodes we love over and over, but for the following series, we're likely to never see a new one again.

1. Sense8

Netflix was pretty forthcoming about why Sense8 was canceled. They knew that the people who were watching the show were wildly passionate about it, but the size and the scope of production were simply too much to justify the cost. 

Thankfully, we did get a big finale special, and there will probably always be some yearning from fans for just a bit more.

2. Everything Sucks!

It's pretty rare for a Netflix series to not at least get a second season, but Everything Sucks! bucked that trend and got the ax after just one season. It's somewhat surprising, considering the current taste for nostalgic content and the show's considerate treatment of LGBTQ youth in America.

3. White Rabbit Project

For Mythbusters fans, White Rabbit Project was the closest replacement they could hope to find in a show that celebrated science, ingenuity, and curiosity. The show brought together the so-called "Build Team" from Mythbusters into themed episodes, looking to learn about history, inventions, and predicting the future. 

About a year ago, Tory Belleci responded to an AMA on Reddit saying that Netflix would not be picking up a second season.

4. The Get Down

Like the globetrotting Sense8, The Get Down was a victim of its own ambition. It was a big musical extravaganza that, unfortunately, just didn't make up for its cost in terms of the size of its audience.

5. Bloodline

Putting Bloodline in this list is, admittedly, debatable. There was a clear drop-off in quality from the first season into the second and third, so, on one hand, there were plenty of reasons to pull the plug. 

What we're really grieving here is the possibility of a proper send-off that matched the excellence of the first season.

6. Haters Back Off!

Haters Back Off! definitely wasn't for everybody. But it was an ambitious attempt to flesh out a YouTube character into a full-fledged series, and it wasn't without its merits.

7. Julie's Greenroom

It's been over a year and half since Julie's Greenroom brought screen legend Julie Andrews and a slew of guest stars face-to-face with a bunch of Jim Henson Company puppets to teach them about the arts. 

While there hasn't been an official cancelation to date, there also hasn't been any word of a second season.

8. Iron Fist

I know, I know, I know. When you hear positive things about Iron Fist, it's generally people saying things like "It's not as bad as they say." Hardly a raving endorsement. 

But really, the worst part about Iron Fist was Danny Rand, so with Season 2 ending with Colleen Wing taking over the powers of the Iron Fist, it's basically what we always wanted — but instead, we've got nothing.

There is the possibility of Iron Fist living on when Disney launches its own streaming service, so perhaps there's still more to come.

9. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency is the kind of weird, quirky show that lets you know that you've found a kindred spirit as soon as you find out that someone else likes it too. As a co-production with BBC America (so it's just getting onto this list by a technicality), its cancelation after two seasons was met with outrage. 

There was an online petition calling for its revival that reached over 130,000 signatures.

10. Crazyhead

The first time I wrote about Crazyhead, I said, "It’s almost impossible to not get a Buffyvibe when you’re watching Crazyhead. It’s a paranormal melodramedy with female demon hunters at the forefront," and I stand by that. 

As a co-production with Channel 4, it was genuinely shocking when it was announced that the show just wouldn't be getting a second season.

11. Longmire

In addition to developing their own series, Netflix has also gotten into the revival game, breathing new life into others networks' canceled series. While the sixth and final season was announced well beforehand, fans of the show (and its star Robert Taylor) would be happy to see more Longmire on their screens sooner rather than later.

12. House of Cards

Okay, okay, okay, I know what you're thinking. But hear me out. Netflix's first original baby, House of Cards has been slated for its final season for a while now, but seeing Robin Wright step into the lead role seems to be bringing new life and interest that the show hasn't enjoyed since its first season. 

There's no point in speculating until the final season actually lands, but it seems a shame to step away just as the show gets reinvigorated.

13. Master of None

It was honestly a tough decision about whether or not to include this show on this list because...y'know...reasons. But Master of None gave voice to a particular kind of identity that was accessible and informative for some and affirming and validating for others.

In this case, it isn't Netflix that's holding the show, it's Aziz Ansari himself, who feels like he's said what he wanted to, and he would need a "looonng break" before having enough life experience to write a third season.

14. Cooked

Cooked may have snuck underneath a lot of radars, and you don't often hear people clamoring for documentaries to get sequels, but Cooked has a way of getting under your skin and changing the way that you think about food. 

The show saw Michael Pollan investigate humanity's relationship with food, and it could certainly keep that up for more than the four episodes it got.

15. The Break with Michelle Wolf

Another decision that just came down to ratings — not enough people were watching The Break with Michelle Wolf to justify a renewal. 

Wolf has made a name for herself in stand-out segments of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, so it was great to see her get a bigger platform where she could show off more of her fun side.

16. Luke Cage

When Iron Fist got axed, we had feelings about it, but, honestly? We understood. But Luke Cage? Luke freaking Cage? The Netflix series that literally broke the internet when it launched? Apparently, creative differences led to production problems, and Netflix decided that cancelation was the "only viable exit strategy."

With all that being said, there is a certain amount of symmetry to two of Netflix's Marvel shows being canceled. As Twitter user MrNiceGuy18_58 pointed out, "Damn, Thanos snap got half The Defenders!"