Netflix has been a real heartbreaker over the years. Despite having loyal legions of fans, great critical success, and sometimes even winning accolades, it isn’t enough for them. Series after series, stories are abruptly axed before it has the opportunity to properly end, stripping the fans of the narrative closure that they deserve. Sadly for most, it is simply the end, or they are put in some liminal period of unknown futures.
What these Netflix cancelations have proved, however, is the power of the people. The fans are the indicators of a cancelled Netflix show’s success, and they can even be the ones to save it from extinction. Even if their efforts are futile, it will never stop the fans from being open and honest about their outrage and desires for renewal, no matter how much time has passed.
Updated on October 19, 2023, by Hannah Saab:
Netflix cancelled shows again this year, to no one’s surprise. Fans were enraged and disappointed by the announcements of the cancelations of Big Mouth – which will have an eighth and final season – and its spin-off, Human Resources, which was a fan-favorite that only had two short seasons, joining the ranks of the best Netflix shows that were cancelled.
13 ‘Human Resources’ (2022 – 2023)
An animated sitcom for adults and a spin-off of the popular Big Mouth series on Netflix, Human Resources was just finding its footing when Netflix cancelled it after a second season. It depicts the Hormone monsters in a workplace setting, where they’re assigned to their own human counterparts.
Fans took to Reddit to express their frustration at the early cancelation of a show that had so much potential. In a thread sharing the news, numerous viewers shared how disappointed they were, with one Redditor pointing out how the show had “more topics it could cover.” Human Resources sadly did not attract a large enough fanbase for Netflix to continue it, despite its clear potential to become a unique comedy classic.
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12 ‘Julie and the Phantoms’ (2020)
Julie (Madison Keyes), a teenager whose passion for music has been struggling since the passing of her mother, finds herself leading a band of teenage boys in Julie and the Phantoms. The only problem – they’re ghosts who’ve been dead for 25 years. Together, The Phantoms help revitalize Julie’s life, and in return, she helps them become the band they never were.
Applauded for its music and feel-good nature, fans flooded Netflix’s socials to protest for its renewal. Across Twitter, #SaveJATP was trending, along with a Change.org petition with thousands of signatures (that’s even still gaining traction today).
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11 ‘Fate: The Winx Saga’ (2021 – 2022)
Needing to adjust to her newly discovered fairy magic, Bloom (Abigail Cowen) enrolls in the magical boarding school known as Alfea in Otherworld. There, she meets and befriends new fairies and specialists whilst learning more about her past.
Fans were furious when the beloved live-action adaptation of the Winx Club was ending on a mega cliffhanger. As Fate: The Winx Saga‘s second season spent five weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10 shows, it’s no surprise that fans bombarded Netflix’s social media comments to protest that yet again, another fan-favorite Young Adult series was being cancelled.
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10 ‘One Day at a Time’ (2017 – 2020)
With three generations of Cuban-Americans living under one roof, Penelope Alvarez (Justina Machado), a newly divorced former military woman, learns to navigate life with her teenage daughter, tween son, and traditionalist mother in One Day at a Time.
Once the popular sitcom got cancelled after three seasons, fans flooded Twitter with #SaveODAAT, as the producers worked hard to find it a new home. Luckily three months after its cancelation, news broke that One Day at a Time was being picked up by CBS’s Pop Network. And by 2020, the fourth season began its run. Sadly, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its airing schedule was disrupted, and future episodes were pushed and replaced with an animated special. By the end of the year, and much to fans’ dismay, the show was officially cancelled.
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9 ‘Warrior Nun’ (2020 – 2022)
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Life changes forever for Ava Silva (Alba Baptista) as she suddenly wakes up in a morgue with a divine artifact in her back. Discovering that she now has superpowers, Ava is summoned to join an ancient order of demon-hunting nuns.
A heartbreaking cancelation in the Netflix catalog, its loyal and passionate fan base was devastated at the news of Warrior Nun‘s axing, and with it being so soon after the release of Season 2. Where fans are currently at it on social media, keeping #SaveWarriorNun trending the feeds and on Netflix’s profile comments, showrunner Simon Berry has confirmed that they are looking for a new home for the beloved fantasy drama series.
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8 ‘Inside Job’ (2021 – 2022)
Inside Job was among Netflix’s most unique shows, but that didn’t save it from cancelation. Created by talented artists responsible for Gravity Falls and BoJack Horseman, Inside Job is a hit animated sci-fi sitcom set in a reality where conspiracy theories are actual fact. It revolves around a team working with the shadowy organization, Cognito, Inc., full of bizarre characters (like reptilian hybrids).
The series received rave reviews for its animation style, witty humor, and a wonderfully bizarre world populated by even weirder characters. Despite love from fans and critics alike, Netflix reversed the renewal after ordering 20 more episodes, sparking outrage among fans online. It’s not clear why they cancelled the series, which had so much future potential.
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7 ‘Anne with an E’ (2017 – 2019)
Set in the late 1890s, Anne with an E revolves around 13-year-old Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty), an orphan who’s mistakenly sent to live with the elderly Cuthbert siblings. Where she is bright and high-spirited in nature, this is Anne’s journey to seeking acceptance and love among her new family and new hometown of Prince Edward Island.
As a co-produced production between Netflix and the Canadian Broadcast Corporation, fans were furious when news of its cancelation arose after the Canadian release of the Season 3 finale. Online campaigns began with #renewannewithane, as both Netflix and the CBC got bombarded with fans commenting the hashtag. The fury didn’t stop there for one of the best shows Netflix cancelled, as the protest escalated with fans raising enough money to rent numerous billboards, from Yonge-Dundas Square in Toronto to Times Square in New York. Even McNulty herself visited them.
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6 ‘1899’ (2022)
Set in 1899, the titular Netflix series from the creators of Dark is a spectacular blend of genres, being a period drama, mystery, and sci-fi show all at once. 1899 follows the story of immigrants traveling from London to New York on a steamship, whose journey is soon complicated by the appearance of a mysterious second vessel they encounter.
Wonderfully twisty, stylistic, and undoubtedly binge-worthy, it’s a shame 1899 was cancelled after one season. A joint statement from the creators, Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, make it clear that they didn’t want to leave fans with the jaw-dropping cliffhanger and numerous unresolved plot lines: “We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a 2nd and 3rd season as we did with Dark. But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned. That’s Life.” They added: “We know this will disappoint millions of fans out there. But we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts that you were a part of this wonderful adventure. We love you. Never forget.” The statement only angered fans further, who understandably became frustrated by Netflix’s seemingly random culling of what appear to be popular shows.
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5 ‘The Society’ (2019)
After returning from a field trip gone wrong, a group of high-school students find their hometown deserted, with its population disappeared. Now, the teenagers must learn how to establish and run their new community whilst figuring out what happened to their town.
Where The Society was initially picked up for a second season, unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic halted its production and by August 2020, Netflix reversed its renewal due to increased scheduling complications. Fans were shocked and upset that show was ending on a major cliffhanger, and with so many unresolved questions. Sadly, like many other cancelled programs, the wave of digital protests (#BringBackTheSociety) and petitions were simply not enough.
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4 ‘I Am Not Okay With This’ (2020)
A coming-of-age tale following Sydney Novak (Sophia Lillis), this story follows her as she faces the complexities of high school, relationships, and family life. Just when her challenges seem too much, life throws Sydney another curveball as she starts to develop telekinetic superpowers.
Where this was also renewed for a second season, I Am Not Okay With This was another unfortunate cancelation of a Netflix show due to the circumstances of the pandemic. Venting their frustrations online, many fans were angered that yet another show that put LGBTQ+ stories at the forefront was being sacrificed. Despite their campaigns and popular petitions circulating the internet, a renewal was not called.
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3 ‘GLOW’ (2017 – 2019)
Inspired by true events, GLOW follows the trials and tribulations of a 1980s women wrestling league from Los Angeles, the Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling (also known as GLOW).
With its numerous accolades and its high approval rates by fans, GLOW‘s renewal for its fourth and final season was not surprising. What was, was its sudden cancelation due to filming complications for GLOW with the pandemic. As a show about wrestling, it was merely impossible to shoot anything whilst following the strict safety guidelines. With fans flooding the internet with #SaveGLOW and active petitions, they had to eventually come to terms with the hopeful possibility of a future movie.
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2 ‘The OA’ (2016 – 2019)
When Prairie Johnson (Brit Marling) resurfaces after being missing for seven years, her hometown is left aghast in The OA. Now a young woman covered in scars, and miraculously no longer blind, Prairie calls herself “the OA” – the original angel – and struggles to confess what happened during the years she was gone.
Where creators planned to tell the story in five parts, Netflix pulled the plug just after two, despite both critic and fan responses being overwhelmingly positive. Abruptly canceling the show on a massive cliffhanger, fan outrage was expected across social media with trending hashtags and online petitions. Protests even reached a whole new level when fans raised enough money for a digital billboard in Times Square to plead for the show’s renewal.
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1 ‘Daredevil’ (2015 – 2018)
Blinded by chemicals as a child, Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox) gains superhuman control over his other senses, enabling him to see the world in his own special way. Now grown, he is a lawyer by day, who ultimately uses his powers to seek justice by night – as a fierce vigilante.
Among the best cancelled Netflix shows, Daredevil‘s initial cancelation sparked rage among fans. Praised for its gritty depiction of a beloved Marvel story (as well as other things), fans of course took to social media to express their anger, and for years they kept #SaveDaredevil all over Marvel’s pages. Luckily for them, the 2022 D23 Expo finally put Marvel fans at ease with the announcement of the Disney+ reboot, Daredevil: Born Again. Where there are some concerns about whether there will be any canonical continuations from the Netflix universe, fans are just excited that this story has been given new life.
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