The streaming giant has been releasing hundreds of original shows each year, with over 300 prolonged or launched in 2021 alone. However, while some series get renewed for multiple seasons, others get canceled after they barely started — and the reason for it is not always apparent.
While viewership numbers are usually the decisive factor in whether or not the show gets to continue its story, they are not always an indicator of the show's quality but are a combination of factors that can range from poor promotion to overshadowing competition. Considering that Netflix has just started to disclose their viewership numbers openly — and mainly for the top-performing TV shows — it's often nearly impossible to determine their logic for cancelations. These 5 Netflix series gained loyal fan bases, had a promising and intriguing start and should have had never been canceled after only one season.
Daybreak (2019)
This fun and cheeky YA apocalyptic horror-comedy lies somewhere between Mad Max and The Walking Dead. While it might seem that the demand for zombie shows has been exceeded, Daybreak offers a unique take on the topic. It sprinkles the story with teenage romance and exploration vibes alongside genre-faithful gore, vaguely reminiscent of Warm Bodies and Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, while delightfully breaking the fourth wall.
Based on Brian Ralph's comic series of the same name, Daybreak follows Josh Weeler (Collin Ford), who finds himself in a post-apocalyptic world where only teenagers have survived a nuclear blast that turned all the adults into zombies. The survivors follow the same dynamic they were used to in high school and form rival gangs of jocks, gamers, cheerleaders, nerds, and so on. Among all that, Josh is on a quest to find his girlfriend and joins a colorful ragtag group of lone survivors. Netflix canceled the show without giving any specific reason, leaving the emerging fan base on a cliffhanger at the end of season 1.
V Wars (2019)
Ian Somerhalder didn't venture far from the familiar The Vampire Diaries, swapping the role of a bad-boy vampire, Damon Salvatore, for a physician and scientist, Luther Swann, who is attempting to find a cure for an ancient virus released due to climate change, that is turning humans into vampires. Inspired by the comic series by Jonathan Maberry and Alan Robinson, V Wars doesn't romanticize the bloodsucking creatures but instead focuses on their monstrous side and struggles to retain humanity. At the same time, it brings forth the doctor's personal motivation of racing against time to save his best friend from the disease.
In its one-season run, V Wars has gained a loyal fan base, combining the popularity of the lead actor with an exciting story filled with plot twists, political machinations, and betrayals that ended on a cliffhanger. While Netflix canceled the show alongside another supernatural series, October Faction, Somerhalder mentioned on several occasions that he's determined to bring it back, giving fans some hope.
Cursed (2020)
Based on Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler's illustrated YA novel of the same, the Australian Cursed follows the story of Nimue, played by 13 Reason Why's Katherine Langford, who is a seemingly cursed Fey destined to become the legendary Lady of the Lake from the Arthurian lore. She joins forces with a young, yet-to-be-king mercenary, Arthur (Devon Terrell), to find Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård) and deliver Excalibur while battling the religious Red Paladins, who aim to eradicate all magic. The show offered a different take on the classic and seemingly tapped-out tale, produced colorful and fleshed-out characters, full of potential and demonstrating clear development, and quickly gained a fantasy-loving fan base.
Considering that Netflix had ordered the show even before the original book was published, and it was trending for several weeks in a row, the news of its cancelation came as a surprise to many. The fans even launched a Twitter #SaveCursed campaign, demonstrating their devotion and interest in seeing the story's continuation. However, the show was likely expensive and challenging to produce during the pandemic, and no news of its continuation or expected spin-off has emerged since.
The Irregulars (2021)
Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes novels, the show follows the ragtag Baker Street Irregulars hired by John Watson (Royce Pierreson), rather than the legendary detective himself, to investigate a series of supernatural crimes that plague Victorian London. In their pursuit, the group discovers a much more significant mystical threat and uncovers some of Holmes' most guarded secrets and the unexpected truth about some of the protagonists' backgrounds. While season 1 ended with the main plot's resolution, it was perfectly set up for continuation and future adventures of the young misfits.
The Irregulars had a massive pop-culture appeal due to its popularized source material and quirky anachronisms. The series was even reportedly greenlit for a second season, following the popularity of Sherlock Holmes-themed Enola Holmes, but was never officially prolonged. The cancelation news was all the more surprising, considering the series trended among Netflix's Top 10 for a long time.
I'm Not Okay With This (2021)
Based on the eponymous Charles Forsman's coming-of-age comic mini-series, I'm Not Okay With This follows Sydney Novak (Sophia Lillis), a teenage girl, who is navigating the turbulence of high school, the complicated family situation following her father's suicide, and the confusing sexuality, all the while dealing with suddenly unlocked supernatural powers. The show's quirky humor, awkward, relatable, tough protagonist, strong performances, and supernatural twists made it popular with the viewers, earned it rave reviews, and a nomination for "Best Adaptation from Comic Book/Graphic Novel" at the Harvey Awards.
While the show's second season was already ready to go into production, I'm Not Okay With This fell unfortunate victim to the wave of pandemic-related cancelations. The show was deemed too expensive to produce in the new circumstances and was promptly shut down. The fact was even more disappointing, considering that the promised season was supposed to deliver a satisfying series finale. The show's co-creator, Jonathan Entwistle, even hoped to re-shoot the first season's ending to rid the fans of the dissatisfying cliffhanger, but the streaming giant never gave him a chance. While there's little hope for the series' return, I'm Not Okay With This was undoubtedly one of the shows that should have had more than one season.