Netflix and cancellations. It seems you can't have one without the other. The world's biggest streaming service is known for its abundance of quality shows and yet, many of them rarely make it to the finish line.
More than 20 Netflix Original TV series received the chop or ended for a multitude of reasons in 2021 with countless of them scrapped far too early – I'm still not over GLOW. If a show somehow manages to obtain a third season, it's now seen as a major milestone, all of which has led to the infamous Netflix curse.
2022 has already seen 10 casualties with more expected in the coming months. This is usually put down to Netflix's algorithm where it weighs up the budget versus its return in terms of audience and whether it wants to commit to another season, although there are some unexplainable cancellations. The budget for Stranger Things 4 is another reason cited recently.
With all that in mind, let's look at every Netflix show cancelled in 2022. These are all listed in chronological order:
Gentefied
The first show of 2022 to be cancelled was US comedy-drama Gentefied, following the premiere of season two in November last year. Applauded for its Latino representation, the series failed to crack the Netflix Top 10 and therefore suffered cancellation. It follows the story of three Mexican-America cousins chasing the America Dream among numerous setbacks and the odds stacked against them.
Gentefied stars Joaquin Cosio, J.J. Soria, Karrie Martin Lachney, Carlos Santos, Annie Gonzalez and Julissa Calderon while being executive produced by America Ferrera.
Cooking with Paris
It only took one season for Netflix to pull the plug on reality cooking show Cooking with Paris. Originally debuting in August 2021, the Paris Hilton-led show, which featured big-name guests like Kim Kardashian and Demi Lovato, was cancelled in January after only making it into Netflix's Top 10 rankings ever so briefly. Is anyone surprised by this one?
Starring and executive produced by Paris Hilton, Cooking with Paris also featured Kim Kardashian, Nikki Glaser, Demi Lovato, Saweetie, Lele Pons, Kathy Hilton, Nicky Hilton Rothschild.
Another Life
Netflix cancelled sci-fi drama series Another Life starring Star Wars and Battlestar Galactica actor Katee Sackhoff in February, four months after season two premiered. It was confirmed by the lead herself (via Twitter). Another Life tells the story of humanity's first contact with extraterrestrial intelligence as astronaut Niko Breckinridge leads a crew to investigate the activity.
Another Life stars Katee Sackhoff, Selma Blair, Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson. A.J. Rivera and JayR Tinaco.
The Baby-Sitters Club
After two seasons, Netflix cancelled the family comedy-drama The Baby-Sitters Club due to a lack of viewership. Based on the novels of the same name, The Baby-Sitters Club follows the adventures of seven friends who decide to start their own babysitting business while dealing with the everyday adolescents of being a teenager. It also obtained the number one spot on the review-aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes for Best Netflix Series, so clearly, critical reception is not enough keep a show alive.
The Baby-Sitters Club stars Sophie Grace, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Malia Baker, Vivian Watson, Xochitl Gomez, Anais Lee, Alicia Silverstone and Mark Feuerstein.
Archive 81
Sci-fi supernatural horror series Archive 81 was scrapped less than three months after the first season premiered on the streaming platform. It tells the story of Daniel Turner, who is hired to restore video footage from graduate student Melody Pendras after the building she was making a documentary on burns down. This one has more of a question mark surrounding its cancellation as it had decent viewing figures and critical reception.
Archive 81 stars Mamoudou Athie, Dina Shihabi, Evan Jonigkeit, Julia Chan, Ariana Neal, Matt McGorry and Martin Donovan.
Locke & Key
Netflix confirmed on April 7th that the beloved coming-of-age fantasy horror drama series Locke & Key will end after three seasons. Based on the comicbook by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, Locke & Key's premise focuses on the Locke siblings who relocate with their mother to an ancestral estate in Massachusetts after their father is murdered, only soon to discover mysterious keys and demons. This one is more of a technicality as supposedly the plan was for the show to always finish with season three.
Locke & Key stars Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, Brendan Hines, Jackson Robert Scott, Sherri Saum, Kevin Duran and Coby Bird.
On The Verge
On The Verge with Back to the Future and The Boys star Elisabeth Shue was cancelled in the middle of April, less than eight months after season one premiered. Set in Los Angeles pre-pandemic, the comedy-drama told the story of four women – a single mother, a chef, an heiress and a job seeker – in their late 40s as they encountered a midlife crisis.
Star and creator Julia Delpy confirmed that the series would not return for season two when responding to a fan's question (via Instagram), saying that Netflix "cancelled" the show but "forgot to announce it was cancelled".
On The Verge stars Julie Delpy, Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Jones, Alexia Landeua, Mathieu Demy, Troy Garity, Timm Sharp and Giovanni Ribisi.
Bone
So this one didn't even make it to production. Originally announced in October 2019, Bone from writer Jeff Smith was cancelled in April 2021 after Netflix director of creative leadership and development for original animation Phil Rynda was dismissed from his position alongside a number of his staff members too (via The Wrap).
The story would have been adapted from the popular comicbook adaption starring Fone Bone and his two cousins, Phoney Bone and Smiley Bone, as the trio explore a mysterious valley after being thrown out of their hometown of Bonneville.
Raising Dion
Netflix confirmed in April that the Michael B. Jordan-produced superhero drama Raising Dion had been cancelled less than three months after season two premiered. Set in Atlanta, Raising Dion followed Nicole (Alisha Wainwright) and her son Dion (Ja'Siah Young) who starts to manifest superhero-like powers and must save the city from destruction. The series was based on the comicbook by Dennis Liu.
Raising Dion stars Alisha Wainwright, Ja'Siah Young, Jazmyn Simon, Sammi Haney, Jason Ritter, Griddin Robert Faulkner, Ali Ahn and Michael B. Jordan.
Pretty Smart
April was a big month for cancellations and Pretty Smart was the final show of the month that failed to get a renewal after only one season. Debuting on the platform in October 2021, the 10-episode sitcom follows book-smart Chelsea as she learns about happiness from her bubbly sister, Claire, and three roommates.
As first reported by TVLine (confirmed by T3), the decision to not bring back Pretty Smart for a second season comes in light of Emily Osment's promotion (who plays Chelsea) to a series regular on Young Sheldon. The actor joined in a recurring role throughout season five but will now see her part expanded in season six.
Pretty Smart stars Emily Osment, Gregg Sulkin, Olivia Macklin, Cinthya Carmona and Michael Hsu Rosen.
Space Force
Netflix decided to call it quits on one of its biggest shows in Space Force from The Office (US) duo Steve Carell and Greg Daniels. The workplace comedy follows a group of people tasked with establishing the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces, the United States Space Force. As originally reported by Deadline, the second season debuted in February 2022 and was confirmed to not be returning for a third.
Space Force stars Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Lisa Kudrow, Tawny Newsome, Don Lake, and Jimmy O. Yang. Both seasons of the show can be watched on Netflix now.
Pearl
It was confirmed in May that Netflix will no longer be progressing a new animated series from Archewell Productions, the organisation established by Megan Markle and Prince Harry. Known as Pearl, it was said to be a family-friendly series that focused on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl who finds inspiration from a variety of influential women throughout history.
Originally announced in July 2021, Pearl was set to be the first project as part of a multi-year deal between Netflix and the royals. This deal was reportedly worth approximately $100 million and the two companies are still set to work together on multiple projects in the future.
What's next?
It's clearly up for debate as to what is next likely to face the chop at Netflix but one show with a target on its back is Aziz Ansari's Master of None. Following a four-year gap between seasons two and three and the latest season failing to set the world on fire, this might be the last we see of Dev Shah. Speaking of seeing less of Dev, that in itself might be another contributing factor.
Season three, named Master of None Presents: Moments in Love, took lead character Dev out of the spotlight (though Aziz Ansari still directed and co-wrote all episodes) to focus on Denise and Alicia, to mixed critical reception. The reason for this was because of the allegations made against Aziz Ansari in 2018, so many expected season two to actually be the last. All of this combined could spell the end of Master of None for good.
We'll be updating this piece (hopefully not that often) every time Netflix cancels a new show, so make sure to check back. In the meantime, here's five mistakes everyone makes with Netflix and why sharing accounts could soon cost you more money.
