Netflix needs to stop canceling shows before they reach their full potential
I will probably never watch The OA – and that’s a damn shame. Probably. I’m not sure, I’ve never watched it. But, according to friends and colleagues that I hold dear, the series had transformed into something quite special by the second season’s conclusion. Yet, despite a mind-bending twist (which I’ve only heard about), Netflix decided to cancel the show, and I can’t commit to watching a story that will never have an ending.
The OA’s not exactly an outlier, either. Netflix has made a habit of canceling shows before they reach their creators’ intended conclusion. The Society, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Anne With an E were all unceremoniously axed. Those are just the series with the loudest fanbases. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, American Vandal, and Archive 81 have been thrown onto the great pile of discarded TV shows.
The streamer (notoriously secretive about why it makes decisions) seemingly prioritizes flashy, name-driven new series as a way of enticing new subscribers. There are many mathematical loops to jump through to understand why certain shows continue and others do not, but Netflix undoubtedly has a formula or algorithm for working out which products are the most cost-effective for its purposes of internet domination.
However, that formula may need some readjusting. Netflix has announced that its subscriber count has declined for the very first time. There are multiple reasons offered by the company, and chief executive Reed Hastings has said they will be offering an advert-enhanced tier and cracking down on password sharing. Those both sound like ways Netflix can increase revenue, but there are two major factors that social media has jumped on for why they are losing faith in the streamer:
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