Let’s take a look down memory lane at shows we wish weren’t cancelled on Netflix

Words Andrea Brigino
Photos courtesy of Netflix
June 7, 2024

With the current environment of streaming platforms, it is every showrunner and show watcher's greatest fear to have their favorite shows suddenly canceled by the designated streaming service. Netflix especially has been the most notorious contributor to this dreadful phenomenon in pop culture since 2020, so let’s take a look at their most foul cases of show cancellations.

The Society

While not the most popular standalone show on this list, The Society remains one of Netflix’s worst cancellations, as this and another show on this list canceled simultaneously paved the way for Netflix canceling several shows not to the caliber of Stranger Things. This mystery thriller about a group of teenagers stuck in their isolated hometown not only left a cryptic and suspenseful cliffhanger in its conclusion, but Netflix even released a season 2 announcement amidst the show’s success, only to take it back with a sudden cancellation.

I Am Not Okay With This

This show accompanied The Society in starting Netflix’s abrupt cancellations back in 2020. Based on a graphic novel by the same name, main character Sydney’s queer coming-of-age story blends with a sudden awakening of a supernatural power she possesses. The manifestation of her gruesome powers mixes with her familial troubles, sexual awakenings, and the trials of high school, and its first season ends with her powers at an all-time high, with a potential discovery of the origin of her powers cut by a cliffhanger. And it is because of this cancellation that Sydney’s powers are also left unaddressed.

Shadow and Bone

The cancellation of this show during the Actors Strike angered the book community. Shadow and Bone is based on a highly popular book trilogy by Leigh Bardugo, and is a young adult fantasy series about Alina Starkov navigating her sudden realization of possessing sun-like magical abilities. Her story is also interwoven with that of Bardugo’s most popular series in the same universe, the critically acclaimed Six of Crows duology about a band of six misfits performing heists. The Six of Crows cast was a drawing force for many of the book series’ fans, and they were originally slated for their own spin-off show along with Alina’s story being resumed through a separate season for the Shadow and Bone universe, but ultimately Netflix’s run on the series was cut short after two seasons.

1899

The series was released two years after the close of the creators’ highly acclaimed mystery thriller series Dark, and 1899 follows a similar sequence of suspenseful storytelling, vigorous acting performances, and a bone-chilling score. It follows a group of European passengers on a ship leaving the continent, and their dreams of going abroad and starting their futures take a twisted turn with the discovery of another undocumented migrant ship at sea. Fans of Dark and other thriller watchers were excited to see where these creators would go with this new series after the success of their previous show with Netflix, only for the streaming site to cut their run short after just one season.

Inside Job

Netflix is no stranger to animated shows. With critically acclaimed adaptations such as Arcane and Castlevania with upcoming new seasons, Inside Job’s more simplistic and western sitcom-esque animation style is deceiving to its layered and convoluted storyline about Reagan being a member of an organization aiming to keep the world’s biggest conspiracies a secret. While it still maintains a good amount of physical comedy within the animation, it also raises concepts of identity, love, and its complex characterization stood out in the sea of western adult cartoons. Unfortunately, it was canceled by Netflix after two seasons.