Another Netflix show has gotten the axe, and this one was cancelled despite a previous renewal. The female wrestling dramedy GLOW, starring Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin, won't be returning for its fourth and final season after all, despite production actually already beginning on Season 4 earlier this year. GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch have already reacted to the news.
Creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch shared their reactions to GLOW ending earlier than anticipated in a statement (via Deadline), saying:
COVID has killed actual humans. It’s a national tragedy and should be our focus. COVID also apparently took down our show. Netflix has decided not to finish filming the final season of GLOW. We were handed the creative freedom to make a complicated comedy about women and tell their stories. And wrestle. And now that’s gone. There’s a lot of sh*tty things happening in the world that are much bigger than this right now. But it still sucks that we don’t get to see these 15 women in a frame together again. We’ll miss our cast of weirdo clowns and our heroic crew. It was the best job.
The GLOW creators didn't cast blame in their statement regarding the premature end of their show, but rather focused on the big picture of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. COVID all but brought the entertainment industry to a standstill earlier in 2020, cutting seasons off early and delaying the beginnings of productions on others. Now, GLOW is officially ending after reportedly getting three weeks into Season 4 production before shutting down in March.
GLOW fans will undoubtedly agree that the cancellation "sucks," especially when the Season 4 renewal was also for a final season that could have brought these characters' journeys to satisfying ends. Still, the cancellation isn't altogether shocking. Another Netflix series had already been cancelled despite being previously renewed, and the future is uncertain for even Top 10 list shows.
The show was also shot in Los Angeles, where some large scale productions haven't gotten back into swing, unlike those filming up in Vancouver like The CW's Arrowverse or other big cities like the Dick Wolf shows, although those haven't been without their own delays as well. The good news is that all of the GLOW series regulars were paid in full for Season 4 despite Season 4 never getting more than a few weeks into production.
The factors that ultimately resulted in the GLOW cancellation were production costs combined with delays, COVID-19 uncertainty, and a lack of guarantee that GLOW would draw a big enough audience upon Season 4 premiere that the investment would be worth the money and effort. The earliest GLOW could have been expected to return to Netflix with a fourth season would have been 2022. The third season debuted in early August 2019.
For now, Netflix subscribers can watch and rewatch the first three seasons of GLOW streaming now. Considering this and more recent cancellations, including the popular Teenage Bounty Hunters that already had plans for Season 2, subscribers may also want to start crossing their fingers that other favorites don't get the axe. Mega hit shows like Stranger Things are undoubtedly safe, but others like Space Force and Julie and the Phantoms may not be so secure.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more streaming, TV, and movie news, and be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule to find some upcoming viewing options on the streaming service and elsewhere.
