During the course of the 2020s, Netflix has developed a reputation for implementing an especially ruthless approach to show cancellations. The streaming giant is frequently accused of being too hasty in its decisions to axe popular and acclaimed series long before the conclusion of their stories, or even when they’re just starting out.
Netflix’s cancellations reflecting the impatience of the current TV epoch – not just from audiences, but from streaming platforms looking to make a quick financial return on their investment in new content. In fact, this impatience runs entirely contrary to the unconditional backing Netflix gave to daring small-screen projects during its period of ascendancy in the mid-2010s.
Back then, Netflix didn’t cancel any show that aspired to greatness, even if they were failing to match expectations. House of Cards, Insatiable, and 13 Reasons Why would all have been put out of their misery at the earliest opportunity if they were produced today.
By contrast, in the last month alone, the streamer has already axed high-profile 2025 releases The Abandons, which racked up relatively decent viewing figures, and The Vince Staples Show, which was an enormous critical success. Still, neither of them compare with the worst Netflix cancellations of all time.
10
Archive 81
Canceled In January 2022
Narrowly beating 2024 fan-favorite Kaos to the final spot in this list, Archive 81 is a Lovecraftian mystery horror series with connections to Stephen King and a brilliantly inventive premise. Set across two different time periods, the show follows two different documentary filmmakers attempting to uncover the sinister story behind a building fire.
Archive 81’s compelling supernatural horror elements and suave noir aesthetic earned it over 128 million viewing hours globally. Yet, this figure still wasn’t enough for the show to reach the required target for renewal in Netflix’s cost-per-viewer and completion rate metrics, which were being implemented for the first time around the time of its cancellation after just one season.
9
The Get Down
Canceled In April 2017
Among the most ambitious and authentic musical drama series ever made, The Get Down portrays the development of hip-hop and disco in 1970s New York, from the perspectives of fictional teenagers heavily involved in the creation of these music genres. The brainchild of Baz Luhrmann and Harlem native Stephen Adly Guirgis, this series deserved all the attention its release demanded.
At the same time, it needed a massive audience to justify its enormous $120 million budget. This audience never quite materialized. Fewer than four million Americans watched The Get Down part 1 upon its release, and Netflix canceled the show after 11 episodes. Lead actor Justice Smith’s comments about Netflix’s password-sharing policy changes suggest he’s still not over this cancellation.
8
Daredevil
Canceled In November 2018
While Netflix undoubtedly wanted to keep this superb MCU series going beyond its third season, the platform’s growing rivalry with the show’s IP holders Disney took matters out of their hands. Disney+ was only a year away from launching when Netflix cancelled Daredevil, after disagreements with Marvel Television over episode counts and content control.
Matt Murdock actor Charlie Cox has described mourning the cancellation when it happened, although he’s since returned to playing the franchise’s title character in a sequel series on Disney+, Daredevil: Born Again. As well as this new show has started, however, many viewers still lament the premature end to Netflix’s original live-action Daredevil series.
7
Sense8
Canceled In June 2018
A modern-day cult classic created by The Wachowskis, Sense8 is a sci-fi masterpiece worthy of comparison with the Matrix franchise that put the filmmakers on the map. Fans of Pluribus will recognize similarities between this show’s eight interconnected minds and the 13 people who’ve avoided the “Joining” in Vince Gilligan’s latest series.
One of the most disappointing TV cancellations of the 2010s, the axing of Sense8 in June 2018 signalled the beginning of the end for Netflix’s era of big-budget experimentation. From that point on, the world’s most subscribed-to streaming platform shifted towards a spending model that directly equated series costs with viewing figures.
6
Shadow and Bone
Canceled In November 2023
Shadow and Bone’s cancellation by Netflix in 2023 is symptomatic of a growing problem for major TV series deemed unprofitable by the biggest streamers in the industry. This flagship fantasy show based on Leigh Bardugo’s novel series was performing well with viewers and critics alike when the time came to renew it for a third season.
However, it wasn’t doing well enough for Netflix, who unceremoniously cancelled the season midway through preproduction. As a consequence, like too many streaming series of late, most of Shadow and Bone’s main plot arcs were left unresolved. Now we’ll never know the truth about Alina Starkov’s shadow abilities, Matthias Helvar’s fate, or the Six of Crows attack on the Ice Court.
5
Boots
Canceled In December 2025
Regardless of where you stand on the political spectrum, the unavoidable truth is that Netflix canceled Boots for political reasons. Less than two months after the Pentagon called it “woke garbage”, it became the only show in Netflix’s top 25 most-viewed TV releases for the year to be added to the scrap heap.
This dark comedy-drama about the experiences of LGBTQ+ people in the U.S. Armed Forces had received rave reviews and attracted a large audience upon its release. Showrunners and producers are understandably concerned that the cancellation of Boots despite its success could foreshadow a wider trend of Netflix bosses allowing political considerations to govern their decision-making.
4
GLOW
Canceled In October 2020
Netflix’s cancellation of GLOW in October 2020 was a particularly shocking decision, given that the streaming service had already renewed it for a fourth season, only to reverse their decision. Unexpected additional costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic were cited as the reason for this about-face, but that didn’t make it any easier for fans to take.
GLOW is the hilarious yet affecting of an actress turning to women’s wrestling to make ends meet in the mid-1980s. Its wonderfully original characterizations and storylines brought it legions of viewers. The show was still very much at the peak of its powers when Netflix unexpectedly decided to call it a day.
3
Bone
Canceled In April 2022
Jeff Smith’s reaction to the cancellation of Bone by Netflix says it all. This example perfectly illustrates how the streaming giant has gone from TV’s young pretender to a corporate behemoth indistinguishable from the major networks in its attitude to the creative arts.
A timeless and beloved comic strip that’s collected countless awards down the years, Bone still hasn’t been adapted for television to this day. No one is more to blame for this anomaly than Netflix, who were two and a half years into their partnership with Smith and his team of animators when they pulled the plug on this highly anticipated series.
2
The OA
Canceled In August 2019
Because Netflix decided to cancel it after just two seasons, The OA’s legendary second season cliffhanger remains the last thing to have happened in the series. This mindblowing twist necessitates explanation more than almost any other ending in TV history, precisely because it was never meant to be the end.
The OA’s cult status has only continued to grow since its cancellation, and the clamor for its return grows louder with each passing year. The hope is real, too, as Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij are open to developing more seasons of the show, whenever they have time to collaborate again, and Netflix decides to come to its senses.
1
Mindhunter
Canceled In August 2019
Netflix’s cancellation of Mindhunter is the most unforgivable act of creative suppression ever committed by the streaming giant. This masterful crime drama co-directed and supervised by David Fincher features extraordinary storytelling, mesmerizing performances, and exquisite period details, beyond even the scope of Fincher’s cinematic masterpiece Zodiac.
When offered the chance to continue making the show with different production values on a tighter budget, the director predictably took the moral high ground, and agreed to wrap up the project before its time. As a result, we may never see BTK face justice within the confines of this drama series. Netflix bosses should hang their heads in shame.
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January 16, 2007
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Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph
This story originally appeared on Screenrant
