Netflix has done it again. The streamer has developed a reputation for cancelling shows to the extent that it sometimes feels like no series is safe, even if the previous season ended on a cliffhanger. Now, following its first season and a killer cliffhanger, Netflix has cancelled drama Hit & Run.
According to Deadline, Netflix has decided to not renew the geopolitical espionage thriller for a second season. The series was co-created, executive produced and led by Lior Raz from Fauda. It’s been nearly two months since the release of the first season, and it ended on a cliffhanger after an intriguing setup. Hit & Run followed happily married man Segev whose wife was killed in a hit and run accident in Tel Aviv.
With the help of ex-lover Lathan (Naomi Hicks), he searched for his wife’s killers and discovered some secrets about his wife that she kept hidden prior to her death. Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger that sent Segev in a different direction, and showrunners Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin had hoped the show would go on for at least two or three seasons.
While the plotline was intriguing, the show didn’t seem to have the kind of success some of Netflix's other shows had seen. Hit & Run dropped on Netflix in early August, and although it did break into the Top 10 the following week at #8, it was the show’s only appearance on the weekly chart. Fellow Netflix Originals Outer Banks and Virgin River, and even then-non-Netflix series Manifest, were still dominating. On the same day that news broke of Netflix's cancellation of Hit & Run, the streamer ended up renewing Virgin River for two more seasons.
Netflix is no stranger to cancelling shows, no matter the outcry it could bring. Earlier this year, it cancelled three shows at once. And due to COVID, at one point Netflix reversed renewals on a couple of popular shows, The Society and GLOW. Despite all of these cancellations and even shows that are still left hanging regarding their futures, Netflix isn't going to run out of original content any time soon thanks to the sheer number of series it packs into its lineup each month.
It’s sad that fans will not be able to find out what will happen after that cliffhanger, especially since it seems like there was still so much more story to tell. Shows ending on cliffhangers are just a double punch to the gut, and I have watched way too many shows that have ended that way. Not many of them get a second chance, but as Netflix has saved shows, other networks have done the same for Netflix. Could this be one? We can always hope that this won’t be the end. But even if it is, hopefully we’ll still find out what happened in an interview or in some way.
