This Netflix show was cancelled too soon and fans still aren’t over it
Some cancellations sting; others leave a scar. I Am Not Okay with This on Netflix falls into the latter category. When it dropped in February 2020, the show felt like lightning in a bottle. Based on Charles Forsman’s graphic novel and created by Stranger Things producers, it followed Sydney Novak, a high school girl navigating grief, identity, awkward first loves, and a side of uncontrollable telekinetic powers, as it happens. It was a coming-of-age story with sharp teeth.
With just seven episodes, each under 30 minutes, the show was short, snappy, and painfully addictive. It had the snark of Sex Education, the dark mood of Carrie, and the heart of Eighth Grade. Sydney, played by the magnetic Sophia Lillis, was angry, messy, and deeply human. She was never written to be likeable. She was written to be real. And then, just like that, it was over.
Netflix pulled the plug in August 2020, dashing dreams of a season two or a closure. There would be no explosion-filled follow-up to that jaw-dropping cliffhanger where Sydney is covered in blood at prom and confronted by a shadowy figure. A story that had just begun was cut short mid-sentence.
Fans were furious, and rightfully so. The show had earned strong reviews, built a loyal following, and ended on a note that promised something bolder, darker, and more emotionally charged than its first season. The potential was huge, so why was it axed?
The official reason: Covid-19. The pandemic reshuffled production schedules, increased costs, and forced Netflix to make some brutal decisions. According to reports, I Am Not Okay with This had a season two script ready, and the cast was on board. But the logistical challenges and financial risks were deemed too high.
Behind that corporate explanation, though, lies a deeper frustration, one fans have echoed since, as evidenced by the numerous shows that have come on the chopping block over the years. Why are original, quirky, character-driven shows the first to go? I Am Not Okay with This never relied on massive budgets or big IP. It relied on a strong voice, intimate storytelling, and emotional vulnerability. And ironically, that may have been its downfall. In a crowded content war, quiet brilliance is often buried under flashier titles.
But even in its short run, the show did something unforgettable. It gave us a queer protagonist whose powers mirrored her internal chaos. It tackled mental health without melodrama, showed that rage, loneliness, and grief are not side plots but central to growing up. And it did all this without ever talking down to its audience.
Sophia Lillis brought Sydney to life in a way that felt raw and intimate. Every line, every stare, every breakdown felt earned. And Wyatt Oleff as Stanley Barber became an instant soft boy icon. The chemistry, the tension, the awkwardly real dynamics, they all made the series feel lived in.
Five years later, fans still post about it, still tweet about the prom scene, and still write season two fanfiction, because something about this show sticks around. It captured a very specific kind of teen alienation, the kind that does not go away with age, just evolves.
Netflix might have shut the door, but the story lives on. In memes, in playlists, in “what could’ve been” threads. And maybe that’s what makes I Am Not Okay with This special. It did not become a long-running series, but it became a quiet cult classic, the kind of people bring up in conversations like, “Remember that show that ended right when it got amazing?”
Yeah, we remember. And we are still not okay with it.