Ah, Netflix. The streaming service has been responsible for some awesome shows since they began doing original series. I’m talking about shows like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Squid Game and so many more. They’ve been nominated for Emmys, Golden Globes, and several other awards alike. They’ve truly become a powerhouse in producing some awesome TV.
However, there have also been several shows that Netflix cancelled, in my eyes, way too soon. While there are plenty of shows in 2024 premiering on Netflix, whether for the first time or with new seasons, there are so many that deserve to be on that list as well. Shows that unfortunately got the boot too early. These are the ten Netflix shows from the past that I think deserved way more than the seasons they were given.
The Get Down (2016-2017)
This one has to be what angers me the most. The Get Down was an awesome TV show that told several stories all at once, one of a young boy discovering his love of hip hop and another girl stepping up into the eyes of stardom in the 1970s of the Bronx.
Let’s get one thing straight – the fact that this show was cancelled after one season is an atrocity. The music in The Get Down was absolutely awesome, the stories were so much fun to follow along, and the actors really carried the show and made it entertaining to watch. While it’s really unknown as to why it was cancelled so quickly, many have speculated that it was because of production delays and budget cuts, and considering The Get Down was crazy expensive to make, it would make sense.
However, the story of these teenagers in the Bronx could have been so much more – at least more than one season, dang it. I will never forgive Netflix for cutting it from their lineup just like that.
Shadow And Bone (2022 – 2023)
When Shadow and Bone was cancelled, I’m pretty sure I just about cried.
Shadow and Bone was one of the best fantasy shows on TV, and followed the story of Alina Starkov, a young woman who discovers that she is Grisha, but a special type – one who is able to summon the power of light, and get rid of something called the Fold, a dangerous crossing that kills anyone in their path.
Honestly, the premise is just the beginning of this show. From the fun cast to the interesting worldbuilding to so much more, Shadow and Bone deserved way more than it got on Netflix. Deadline reported that the second season did not reach the heights of the first, but I blame that on Netflix barely marketing the second season at all. This show needed more love, so much more.
The Society (2019)
The premise of this show is enough to settle itself above the best series out there that have to do with apocalypse-type threats. The Society is about a group of teenagers who suddenly come under the responsibility of learning to run their own community after the rest of the population suddenly disappears.
From a distance, this premise sounds like so much fun. It reminds me of shows like Under the Dome and The Walking Dead where people must adapt to new circumstances in order to survive. But even after that, the show was abruptly cancelled because of COVID-19 related issues. The Society had been renewed for a Season 2 but was later cancelled before the start of production, so it seems we're never going to get that continuation we so desperately wanted. It truly is a shame – The Society could have really been one of the greats, in my opinion.
1899 (2022)
1899 was a German mystery series mixed in with sci-fi, and it follows a group of emigrants who travel to the United States to live a better life, but strange things begin to happen that turns their lives upside down.
The series itself came from the same creators of Dark, a much more successful TV show on the platform. And while I’ll say that I don’t think 1899 reached the heights of Dark in terms of mystery, we were barely given any time to really appreciate the story as it was. 1899 could have gone on to do so many different paths – and it’s a shame it was squandered so easily.
On My Block (2018-2021)
Netflix loves itself a good coming-of-age story, and that’s exactly what On My Block was. This TV show was all about a group of high schoolers as they navigated their personal and social lives in the gritty streets of South Central Los Angeles.
The diversity was great, the stories were interesting, and the romances were so much fun to watch develop. Not only that, but On My Block tackled some serious social issues that few teen shows tend to explore, such as race relations and institutional racism. While there were four seasons, it was a shame it didn’t go on for longer.
A reason wasn’t mentioned as to why it was cancelled, but fans aren’t super happy about it. In a sea of Netflix shows that tend to pop up out of nowhere, On My Block was a good diamond among the rest. It’s a shame it ended.
Sense8 (2015-2018)
I have a feeling that this series was a case of “good premise, wrong time,” because the idea of Sense8 is so interesting but it’d be hard for someone who doesn’t quite understand it to enjoy it. Sense8 is about eight strangers who are randomly thrust into each other’s lives, secrets, and dangers. They try to discover why their connection is so unique, while another organization wants to hunt them down.
I know, it sounds so out there and strange that it’s hard to figure out exactly what’s going on with this, but Sense8 was super intriguing. It takes time to understand the exact connection that these people have but once you do, there are several themes that this story explores, including the differences among others and the diversity that comes with friendships and relationships.
The series did get a movie that seemed to “wrap it up,” but fans wanted more after only two seasons. Netflix cited that the cancellation was due to low viewership, but plenty of people still loved the show.
Inside Job (2021 – 2022)
This adult animated series on Netflix was a shock to see when it was cancelled. The series, Inside Job, comes from a writer on Gravity Falls, and follows an office team that works in a shadow government organization called Cognito Inc, which is responsible for controlling most of the world through its six categories.
Inside Job was hands down one of the most creative shows on this list. I love animated shows, especially ones that tend to be catered towards adults, and Inside Job gave a great storyline but plenty of mature humor that kept you coming back for each episode. What’s even more frustrating is that Inside Job did get renewed for a Season 2, but was cancelled before it could even release.
The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina (2018-2020)
I was one of the many fans that was peeved that the new version of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was cancelled. This version of Sabrina took a darker turn, as we watched her learn to control her masterful powers while also trying to be a normal teenager at the same time, with enemies like the Devil himself hunting her down.
It was a different take, a bold one for a property like Sabrina, the Teenage Witch to do, but it was received well all the same. The story was exciting, the characters diverse and relatable, and the comedy (when there was some) was great. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina cast was awesome too.
With only two seasons (split up into two parts each), there was so much more story that could have been told about Sabrina, and let’s not talk about how the series actually ended. I’m always going to be upset that the creators of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina didn’t end Riverdale instead, which they also produced.
The OA (2016-2019)
The OA tells the story of Prairie Johnson, a young woman who had been missing for seven years and suddenly resurfaces, calling herself the OA, standing for “Original Angel,” has scars on her back and can now see, despite being blind when she went missing.
The premise itself is super interesting and honestly, it draws you in quickly. It sounds like an excellent mystery and would have continued to be so if it had gone into a third season, however they were never able to finish the story, and didn’t get an OA finale movie. According to what Jason Isaacs told Collider in 2019, the show was meant to be a five-season arc.
Unfortunately, the series was cancelled after only two seasons. Cost of production may have been a factor, or perhaps viewership just wasn't up to Netflix's hopes for the original series. Even so, there won’t be a continuation of the show, despite being well-received.
Warrior Nun (2020 – 2022)
Warrior Nun is a special case. The fantasy drama series ran for two seasons, and starred Alba Baptista as Ava Silva, a young woman who finds out she has supernatural powers and has to join an ancient organization of warrior nuns in order to fight demons on Earth.
Just the premise alone is a million times more creative than most TV shows we get nowadays. Unfortunately, the show was cancelled in late December 2022, according to Deadline, despite getting decent viewing numbers and only continuing to grow over time. However, fans of the show rallied, and Warrior Nun is set to come back in movie form with a trilogy of films, so at least we have that to look forward to.
Archive 81 (2022)
I will never, ever, ever forgive Netflix for cancelling Archive 81. This horror series followed a young man who is hired to restore video footage from a missing grad student’s documentary, but as he digs deeper into the tapes, he finds out that it’s not as easy as it seems — and these tapes hold dark secrets.
This show was so good, from the creepy moments to the amazing cast to so much more. Honestly, it should be your next horror binge. The idea was so original and interesting and then Netflix, of course, cancelled it after one season. No real reason is out there as to why but may presume it has something to do with numbers as most of these shows do. And I will never be the same without knowing how this show really comes to an end.
Mindhunter (2017 – 2019)
Ugh, this one still hurts even years later.
Mindhunter came from several creative minds in Hollywood, including David Fincher, and is one of the best shows to binge-watch on Netflix, hands down. The series, starring Jonathan Groff, follows two FBI agents as well as a psychologist who operates the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit and starts a project to interview serial killers to see what their minds are like, and how they turned out to be this way.
Mindhunter was brilliant television, and I was so angry when it didn’t come back for a third season. For years, we wondered if we would ever get Mindhunter Season 3, but David Fincher dashed our hopes in February 2023 in an interview with Collider, where he revealed the show really was over. He stated that the show cost too much to make but damn, I would take a Mindhunter Season 3 over any other show right now.
Santa Clarita Diet (2017-2019)
This was one of my favorite shows when it came out because I absolutely loved how quirky it was. Santa Clarita Diet follows the lives of a married couple and their daughter. When Sheila (Drew Barrymore), the wife of Joel Hammond (Timothy Olyphant), “dies” due to eating something mysterious, she awakens with a sudden craving for human flesh.
The idea itself is so interesting. It’s not like she ever really becomes a full-fledged zombie, but that’s how it kind of progresses, and it’s all about trying to find a cure for her. The dark humor in Santa Clarita Diet is on point and could rival so many TV shows that have the same sort of humor. Drew Barrymore shines in this comedy, alongside her costar, Timothy Olyphant, and they really could have expanded the lore with who she was now so much more than they did, along with the cliffhanger that was the last season.
Answers were never really given as to why – as is Netflix’s way of addressing that – so all fans can really do is theorize. Even so, it’s a shame we’ll never get to see zombie Joel and Sheila together – as much as fans have wanted it.
Lockwood & Co (2023)
Another one that hurts so much is Lockwood & Co. This series, which only ran for one season in 2023, was a supernatural detective thriller that follows children who are able to sense deadly ghosts and are hired to hunt them down so they don’t kill the general public in a dystopian version of England.
This series is so creative and so good and yet, it was cancelled by Netflix after only one season due to money issues, as reported by CBR, as well as viewership, despite the show being in the top ten for a few weeks.
GLOW (2017-2019)
Out of all the comedies on this list, I think the cancellation of GLOW is the worst because it was so much fun. GLOW follows the story of fictionalized characters who were part of the gimmicks in the 1980s that included syndicated women’s professional wrestling, otherwise known as Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW).
With three seasons, GLOW developed a fanbase based on the wonderful values that this show talked about all the time, from the acceptance of others to being comfortable in your own skin. While the show was a comedy most of the time, the dramatic moments seemed to hit just as hard and stick with you.
The cast list was full of great talent, with the lead Alison Brie capturing the hearts of viewers. However, a Netflix spokesperson came out and said that they were canceling the show due to COVID-related reasons. While it is a reasonable excuse as to why it was cancelled, it’s still a gut punch to the fans of the show.
First Kill (2022)
Last but not least, we need to talk about First Kill. Based on the short story of the same name, this show was a supernatural teen drama and was a great LGBTQ+ based series that followed a vampire who needed to make her first kill to enter adulthood, and a monster hunter who needed to make her first kill to become an official hunter – and of course, these two end up falling for each other.
This was such a great series and honestly, one of the best modern-day enemies to lovers romances out there, and then Netflix cancelled it after one season. The creator of the show blamed that Netflix failed to market the compelling elements of the series, according to The Daily Beast, so that’s why it didn’t have the staying power and was ultimately cancelled, but dang, I would have given anything to see more of this.
I’m sure that in the next couple of years, however, we will likely see more series get cancelled just like these. Hopefully, however, they can have a bit more closure than some of these did.
