One challenge of becoming a fan of a streaming service show is facing the possibility that it could get canceled after one season. Netflix is already known for its one-season cancellations and other services, like Max and Disney+, have also been known to ax a show after a single season. Now, Paramount+ has taken part in this streaming service trend with Kiefer Sutherland’s new series Rabbit Hole getting the bad news after one season along with other shows.
This past spring, Paramount+ debuted two thriller series that got one-season orders. The first was the spy espionage series Rabbit Hole starring Kiefer Sutherland about a corporate spy framed for murder. About a month after that show dropped Fatal Attraction, which was based on the iconic 1987 movie about a passionate affair that takes a violent turn, came out. Sadly, according to EW, both of these Paramount+ originals didn’t make it past their first seasons with a spokesperson releasing a statement about it.
Fatal Attraction and Rabbit Hole will not be returning for second seasons on Paramount+. We want to thank both series' entire creative teams, crews and the fantastic casts for their dedication to bringing these series to life. Both Fatal Attraction and Rabbit Hole will continue to be available on Paramount+ for audiences to discover.
While it’s a real shame that both of these thriller series became short-lived, it’s good that they’re not going to be removed altogether from the streaming platform. Last summer, Paramount+ canceled four shows and removed them from the service completely.
As part of the plan to integrate Showtime, Star Trek: Prodigy, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, Queen of the Universe, and The Game became nonexistent to the streaming service. While decisions like this can benefit streamers once they receive a tax write-off, it can be controversial because shows that many people worked really hard on become completely unavailable. Luckily, Rabbit Hole and Fatal Attraction can still be seen by Paramount+ subscribers today.
In order to get a better understanding of why streaming shows are getting axed after one season, it helps to know what it takes for streaming shows to get greenlit in the first place. For traditional television shows, networks order test pilots to determine if that one-episode introduction to the upcoming series is worth ordering a whole season for. Streaming shows are a whole different ball game where there are no pilot episodes. Everything is narrowed down to the pitch that creators give to streaming platforms. If the pitch is well-received, a season order is approved. With so many more greenlights on streaming platforms compared to network shows, this leads to increased chances of cancellation.
The Paramount+ series Fatal Attraction had a star-studded cast of Lizzy Caplan and Joshua Jackson, but its star power wasn’t enough to garner favorable reviews. The audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes may be 71%, but the critics gave it 37% with its consensus saying its “clumsy execution ultimately dulls this story's edge.”
Rabbit Hole, on the other hand, got more positive scores from critics and audiences. It was also Kiefer Sutherland’s return to TV after 2016’s ABC-turned-Netflix series Designated Survivor, which had a three-season run and is one of Sutherland’s best shows.
Rabbit Hole’s co-creator Glen Ficarra wrote the lead role for the 24 actor after hearing he was looking for work, and he knew audiences would follow him whether he played a hero or a con man. It’s good that even if the series was short-lived, audiences can still follow Sutherland by watching the show's first season on the platform.
Paramount+ is falling in line with one-season cancellations with Rabbit Hole and Fatal Attraction not getting a second-season order. But, at least streamers have the chance to see them both through a Paramount+ subscription. Take a look at our 2023 TV schedule so you can catch more premieres of upcoming shows.
