It’s not much of a secret that Netflix gets flak for canceling one-season TV shows. 1899, Lockwood & Co. and Freeridge are just a few notable small-screen offerings that have met their demise following brief runs. While it’s rarely ever easy to bid farewell to a series, one could argue that some of these decisions are more surprising (and more painful) than others. I myself have been surprised by a few of the programming decisions that have been made over the years and, now, another one has me relatively shook. It was confirmed this past Friday night that the streamer axed freshman title The Brothers Sun, and I’m scratching my head a little.
News of the action dramedy’s cancellation comes by way of Deadline just nearly two months after the show became available to viewers. An official reason for the decision was not provided by the entertainment conglomerate itself. However, per the trade, the series couldn’t find a large audience and didn’t reach expectations for the streaming service in regard to viewership.
What still has me shook, however, is that the show remained in the platform’s English-language Top 10 trending list for a while. As noted by Deadline, it sat there alongside some of Netflix's best shows for five weeks. The show also received positive reviews amid its debut on January 4. However, it reportedly notched fewer than 7 million weekly views and, during its final two weeks in the Top 10 list, it was garnering less than 2 million viewers.
Co-created by Byron Wu and Brad Falchuk (producer of Glee and American Horror Story), The Brothers Sun centered around young Californian Bruce Sun, who learns of his family’s status as a powerful gangster dynasty in Taiwan. Once his brother, Charles, moves to the states to protect his family, Bruce must adapt to the dangerous lifestyle that his brood has become accustomed to. Sam Song Li played Bruce, Charles was portrayed by Justin Chien and Eileen “Mama” Sun was played by Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. Also rounding out the main cast were Joon Lee and Highdee Kuan.
While the streamer is widely known for axing shows, it feels like a considerable number of series have gone on the chopping block over the past year. That’s especially true when it comes to productions that only last a single season. Inside Job, Glamorous, Bling Empire: New York and Agent Elvis are just a few of the titles that fall under that umbrella. Needless to say, it’s been a somewhat rough time for avid boob tube watchers.
Whether the action-packed show marks one of those TV cancellations fans will remain mad about as time goes on remains to be seen. What I’ll say right now, however, is that it’s sad to see such a promising series end so soon. I'm hoping that no other surprising programming moves like this one crop up in the near future.
All eight episodes of The Brothers Sun are still available to stream with a Netflix subscription. Those looking for other shows to watch can also check out the 2024 TV schedule.
