Netflix cancel ‘That ’90s Show’
For all of its episodic success, one area where Netflix has tended to struggle more than most is keeping subscribers engaged for multiple seasons of a comedy series, with That ’90s Show the latest to fall victim to the streamer’s habit of consigning big-name comic capers to the scrapheap.
Following in the footsteps of Jamie Foxx‘s Dad Stop Embarrassing Me, Kevin James’ The Crew, Sandra Oh’s The Chair, and Steve Carell’s Space Force, to name just a few, the revival of the hit sitcom started off strong only for viewership to fall off a cliff following its return.
As the legacy spinoff to a well-known and enduringly popular show, the combination of nostalgia and newness drove That ’90s Show towards the top of Netflix’s top ten rankings when it initially premiered in January, 2023, with the platform confirming it had been renewed for another run weeks later.
However, interest evidently dissipated after the second season arrived in two parts in June and August of 2024, when it became clear its goose was cooked. The first half spent just one week – which was its first – in the top ten for Netflix’s most-watched TV shows, and the second half didn’t even chart at all.
The writing was on the wall, and it was original star Kurtwood Smith, who reprised his role as Red Forman alongside Debra Jo Rupp’s Kitty, who confirmed the news on social media. “I’ve loved every minute of getting to bring Grandpa Red to life for you all,” he said. “I’ve said it before but it’s worth mentioning again, this show had so much heart behind it and the most wonderful cast, writers, directors, producers and crew an actor could hope to work with.”
The first season of That ’90s Show saw virtually every member of the original cast make a cameo appearance, with the notable exception of the disgraced Danny Masterson. Clearly, once that novelty factor wore off and the series was tasked to stand on its own two feet, Netflix users simply weren’t interested in seeing where the story went.
It’s been little over a month since That ’90s Show rolled out what’s turned out to be its final batch of episodes, and the powers-that-be in the boardroom obviously couldn’t justify a third season when the second struggled to match even a fraction of its immediate predecessor’s success.
However, it may not be the end of the line, with Smith indicating that the show will be shopped to other streamers and networks in the hopes of gaining a stay of execution.