Some Fans Are Bummed After The ACOTAR Series Got Scrapped At Hulu, But I'm Not Sad About It (For A Few Reasons)

Alright. Let's talk ACOTAR, otherwise known as A Court of Thornes and Roses.

If you know me, you'd know that over the last couple of years, I've enjoyed a reading resurgence. All those famous BookTok books and upcoming book-to-screen adaptations got me reading again, and, of course, one of the novel series that I did read was ACOTAR.

With it becoming as big as it did, it was confirmed that an ACOTAR TV series was in the works at Hulu. However, after years of production hell, it's Hulu that has reportedly scrapped it, and author Sarah J. Mass is going to shop around to see if a new streamer or channel will pick it up.

This news, understandably, bummed some fans out. I will say that we didn't get much news about it for a while, so to me, it was only a matter of time before something happened. However, any time a big series is cancelled, it's okay to feel a little sad about it and long-time ACOTAR fans have a right to be.

But, I'm here to say that it's actually a good thing. I'm not sad at all. If you're wondering what is next for this franchise, here are four reasons you shouldn't be sorry—and why I'm not either.

Hulu's Track Record Isn't Necessarily Great

Look, there are some great Hulu shows. I've loved many of them. From The Great to The Bear, there are some excellent picks.

But let's be honest: Hulu's track record isn't necessarily excellent.

Do they cancel shows as much as Netflix does? No, not in any way, shape or form. But I will say that as someone who has watched many Hulu shows, there have been plenty of times when a series is cancelled when it should have gone on (like The Great), or a series has gone on far too long and lost the main objective of the original season (like The Handmaid's Tale, which really should have just been a few seasons at most)

Hulu sometimes doesn't know when to end a story properly. While many of its miniseries are fantastic and deserve a lot of praise, its long-form shows that last several seasons sometimes miss the mark or continue for the sake of popularity.

A great example would be Shogun Season 2. The first season of the show was critically acclaimed and ended up becoming a huge hit on Hulu (as part of the FX on Hulu deal). It was renewed for a second season, but it makes me nervous, because I'm not sure how much you can do with this story. The first season was so utterly complete in many ways. How are we continuing this?

I think a series like ACOTAR, with its world building, romance, and fantasy aspects that seem to increase every time a new book comes out, might have been too much for Hulu, and I think it's good the streamer didn't go there.

ACOTAR Would Do Better At Another, More Adult-Centric, Channel - Like HBO

While ACOTAR isn't a series that is super adult – as the spice content really only makes up a small percentage of the novels and isn't even that graphic – it's still adult enough where Hulu isn't the right platform for it.

Don't get me wrong – there is plenty of adult-based content there. It's not like it's barred from one of the best streaming services, but there are just certain things other platforms get away with way more than Hulu.

Like Max, for example.

I could easily see ACOTAR becoming the next best fantasy series if it was adapted by HBO or brought directly to Max. The effects could be done well. The look of the magic could be improved. The casting would be fantastic, considering they always land the bullseye on these shows.

But even if it wasn't at Max, ACOTAR could work somewhere like Amazon Prime, too. Amazon has vast resources behind it. Heck, they're already adapting a considerable fantasy series – Fourth Wing – so maybe if they wanted to expand more into the world of magic and fae, this would be it.

Either way, Hulu isn't the right streamer for it, and I'll stand by that.

The Series Doesn't Even Need To Be Live-Action For It To Be Successful

Every time I go on TikTok and see fanart of the characters for this show, one of the biggest things I notice is that no one can agree on what actors would play the characters from ACOTAR—especially the Bat Boys (Rhysand, Cassian, and Azriel).

But, who says that it needs to be live-action? Why can't it be animated?

I stand by the fact that animation is a beautiful medium for telling stories in film and TV. Two of my favorite shows of all time — Avatar: The Last Airbender and Attack on Titan — are animated and both told incredible stories.

And you know what? That might work better for something like this. Magical elements can be difficult to bring to life when it comes to live-action – or, at the very least, to make them look realistic and not campy. Even though I enjoy the live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender, there are some aspects of the bending that don't feel real or look good enough. I never have that issue with animation.

I know that animation can sometimes mean a longer wait for seasons — as we saw with Arcane, one of the best shows to binge on Netflix — but at the same time, I really think it could work incredibly well for ACOTAR.

We Need The Next Book - Let's Not Have A GOT Situation

I, with my entire heart, do not want a Game of Thrones situation with ACOTAR.

One of the biggest worries fans have had for shows that come out as adaptations of these popular book series is that not all of the novels are released yet. There are still two other Fourth Wing novels planned, and while a TV show is in the works, the books won't be out for a while. The author, Rebecca Yarros, has said that the fourth book will be out by the time the TV show has aired, but who the heck knows when the fifth will arrive?

I don't want that with ACOTAR. This series means so much to so many readers and writers that it would be a travesty if we had to suffer through seasons of bad storytelling because the showrunners ran out of material, like many say happened with Game of Thrones.

Say what you want about the last season, but it's still not great to me. Even Season 7 has its moments of just 'eh.' I really don't want that to happen here.

The last book in the franchise — A Court of Silver Flames — was released in 2021, and since then, Maas has published two novels in the Crescent City series. She's openly said that she is working on the sixth ACOTAR novel, but there is still one other book planned and another novella, so who knows how long that will take?

All I want is a well-done TV show with complete source material. Is that too much to ask?

While it's going to be forever until we get an update on this series, I'm not concerned. There's so much TV out there and so many fantasy shows, books, and movies to enjoy that you can keep watching new things all the time and never get bored.

I prefer Maas to find the right place for her beloved series rather than rush it anywhere else, and if that means waiting 500 years in Rhysand-style, I'll gladly do it.