This week's news that fan-favourite, Kaos, wasn't returning for a second season on Netflix, left fans reeling in disbelief. It goes to show that critical acclaim and viewer ratings don't count for everything, with cost-to-viewership clearly playing a major part.
That hasn't made it feel 'right', though, with many questioning what's going on with the would-be best streaming service's decision-making process. Kaos has a healthy 83% score on Rotten Tomatoes and it's hard to find people not talking about the show's witty take on Greek mythology in the modern world.
Kaos isn't the only casualty, however, with Netflix having sacked off plenty of shows – some before they've started filming, some during production, others after airing – that has left fans disgruntled. Of the many dozens, here are the 5 shows that Netflix should have never cancelled...
1. I Am Not Okay With This
Kaos was created by Charlie Covell, who also created The End of the Fu*king World. The latter was based on a graphic novel by Charles Forsman, just as was the series I Am Not Okay With This – which was cancelled by Netflix and season 2 never happened.
Conspiracy cancellation theory? Not quite, as the streamer had actually greenlit season 2 – but then that whole global pandemic thing happened, so it was shelved. That was back in 2020, which feels like almost a lifetime away these days – and so the teens-with-superpowers drama had to call it time.
Netflix – and plenty of viewers, it must be said – had also seen the similarities between I Am Not Okay With This and Stranger Things. Teenagers struggling with growing up, identity, meaning and, um, superpowers. But just because it wasn't new didn't mean it wasn't fun to watch – and that 86% Rotten Tomatoes score supports that. One for the history books now, though.
2. The OA
Another much-loved show, The OA was not only co-created by Brit Marling, but also starred her in the lead role – playing Prairie Johnson, a young woman who disappears for 7 years but suddenly returns home. Except with one major difference: she used to be blind but now can see.
Originally penned as a five-season brain-twister, The OA's first season was well-received by critics and fans alike, netting a respectable 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. Its second season was actually rated even higher – but Netflix still pulled the plug, citing predicted returns, and that was that.
If you love thrillers with a good twist of sci-fi, then The OA is still very much worth watching. It'll live with you long after viewing, from its high-brow concept to the conviction of its delivery. This was no Lost, either, as a full map of the show's trajectory was planned. Except now we'll never get to know what happened after that cliffhanger ending!
3. Glow
Glow, or The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, was yet another regrettable Netflix cancellation. Having served up three seasons to much fanfare, the show had already commenced its fourth season's production – but Netflix pulled the plug. Timing was everything for this one, though, as after season three's 2019 airing the world went into shutdown and filming became implausible.
There's always that 'what if' wonder over whether fans would have held on – after all, Glow's fourth season was due to be its last – if the show was picked up after hiatus. But when a season loses momentum that tends to be it. Glow was never off the pulse, though, with a Rotten Tomatoes high of 98% for its second season.
Alison Brie starred as Ruth Wilder, a Los Angeles-based actress out of work in the 1980s, who fell into unexpected stardom in women's wrestling. The show's other Hollywood misfit wrestlers combine as a memorable bunch on-screen – with such strength that it feels like a pre-cursor the Girl Power pop of the 1990s.
4. The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
The only family show on this list, The Dark Crystal actually won an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programme. That didn't stop Netflix swinging the axe, however, cancelling the fantasy series before there was any chance of a second season.
Why? A combination of cost and that other c-word (no, not that one). The show was produced by The Jim Henson Company, famed for its puppetry – The Muppet Movie and Labyrinth being two of its most prominent – which obviously brought a cost factor of its own. It looks stunning though, giving Age of Resistance a real visual distinction.
The cast in the project are true A-listers too: Taron Egerton as Rian; Anya Taylor-Joy as Brea; Natalie Dormer as Onica; and many more. Costly, no doubt, but worth it: The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance holds a mega 94% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes – with many fans still to this day gutted it never got to return.
5. The Punisher
Okay, so this one's probably a bit different. Netflix likely had no choice in the matter and presumably had eyes on contracts being worked on behind the scenes – as only a month after cancelling The Punisher, in February 2019, Disney launched its own streaming service, Disney+.
Why does that matter? Disney had acquired the rights to Marvel a decade prior and clearly the publisher was looking for a different direction. Netflix had a whole range of Marvel shows – Jessica Jones, Daredevil, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, The Defenders – which can still be watched and, in some cases, enjoyed on Disney+.
Of the lot, however, The Punisher was the most raw, the most enjoyable, and the one that was unfazed by the violence so necessary as part of Frank Castle's story. It made it through two seasons, with the first rated a respectable 88% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, Jon Bernthal will reprise his role in Daredevil: Born Again – a movie that's currently in production – so there's a continuation of sorts to look forward to watching.
