Five Netflix shows that were cancelled too soon

Netflix has a lot of new shows and films every week. However, the streamer suffers from serious attention deficiency as it cannot seem to keep at one particular series for too long.

It also has the worst habit of cancelling shows at their prime, for example, Archive 81, which received a rare 100 per cent rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its slow-burn premise yet got cancelled after just one season for undisclosed reasons.

Netflix relies heavily on shows like Stranger Things, Squid Game, Money Heist and others to derive large bouts of revenue. This leads to blatant favouritism and they often end up cancelling emerging shows that are perhaps garnering a fan following.

Here are five such Netflix shows that were cancelled too soon, much to the chagrin of fans:

Five Netflix shows that were cancelled too soon

Raising Dion (Carol Barbee, 2019)

Based on Dennis Liu’s 2015 eponymous comic book of the same name, Raising Dion is a breath of fresh air in the oversaturated superhero genre. It chronicles the adventures of a boy named Dion, who has superpowers that he hones under the supervision of his mother while also battling larger threats.

Despite amassing a whopping viewership of 2.74 billion on its second season premiere, Netflix cancelled this fan-favourite show after just two seasons for undisclosed reasons. Starring Ja’Siah Young, Michael B. Jordan and Alisha Wainwright, this fantasy series was definitely one of its kind on the streamer.

Archive 81 (Rebecca Sonnenshine, 2022)

Executive-produced by horror legend James Wan, the series was loosely based on an eponymous 2018 podcast that grabbed horror aficionados’ attention. From demonic cults and sinister gods to time travel and other supernatural and occult disturbances within the narrative, the series was cancelled after a riveting premiere in January 2022.

The show records the obsession of an archivist who tries to get to the bottom of a fateful tragedy. Sonnenshine’s experience with The Exorcism of Emily Rose helped her build the brilliant premise for the show. However, the reason for Netflix’s cancellation remains unknown, given how well this slow-burn horror show performed, especially with a 100 per cent Rotten Tomatoes rating.

The Society (Christopher Keyser, 2019)

Starring Kathryn Newton, Alex Fitzalan, Toby Wallace, Gideon Adlon and Sean Berdy, this 2019 series is a mystery teen drama that saw a group of teenagers being in charge of the community when the rest of the town mysteriously disappears. Whether it is a surveillance program or an illusion remains a question as they battle with several other emotional and psychological obstacles.

Following its release, the show was initially renewed for season two before being cancelled during the onslaught of the pandemic. Melodramatic and tense, the show was a great commentary on culture, community and emotional maturity and ended on a cliffhanger that fans would probably love to know more about.

I Am Not Okay With This (Jonathan Entwistle, 2020)

Starring Sophia Lillis, Sofia Bryant, Wyatt Oleff and Richard Ellis, among others, Entwistle’s Netflix series is based on Charles Forsman’s eponymous graphic novel. With seven episodes, the series focuses on an awkward teen named Sydney Novak’s life as she comes to terms with her newly acquired telekinetic powers. As she learns how to harness these powers to prevent further chaos, she reels under the tragedy of her father’s death. 

A brilliant commentary on grief, rejection and young love, the elements of humour woven into the poignant moments on the show made it an absolute fan favourite. People were devastated when the show ended on a cliffhanger and was subsequently cancelled. Entwistle admitted that although the show was not supposed to be a long haul, he had definitely envisioned more than seven episodes to explore Sydney’s story, which he could no longer do due to Netflix’s budget cuts during the pandemic. 

GLOW (Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch, 2017)

Set in 1980s LA, abound in spandex and outrageous hairstyles, the show follows the fictionalization of the members of GLOW (Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling). Based on the real show from the ’80s, the series takes a look at the drama that goes on inside and outside the wrestling ring, with the participants at loggerheads with one another.

Despite having the fourth season, greenlit in 2019, the show got cancelled due to the pandemic in 2020. Showrunners said, “Netflix has decided not to finish filming the final season of GLOW. We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle. And now that’s gone. There are a lot of shitty things happening in the world that are much bigger than this right now. But it still sucks that we don’t get to see these 15 women in a frame together again.”