Netflix isn’t just known for its cancellations, especially in recent years.
He’s also a champion of automatic eliminations, catching fans off guard and delivering some real punches.
Some refer to it as a cancellation episode, making viewers wary of investing their time and subscription money into new and exciting shows.
Netflix deals with the wounds caused by popular shows, forcing them into an endless loop based not on reality but on perception.
It also changes proven, successful storytelling formulas and pushes creators to other streaming platforms so their product has a chance to stick.
To be fair, this isn’t unique to Netflix, especially as other streaming platforms continue to grow.
But Netflix is the OG with the most shows and brand recognition.
For this reason, the brand damage from notorious cancellations appears more extensive to fans.
Cancellation pattern
In the past, popular shows would go viral, quickly increasing viewership.
People were binging the show, talking about it, recommending it, and the numbers were going up.
However, Netflix has canceled quite a few shows over time, creating the perception that any show, no matter how popular, could be on the chopping block.
These cancellations continue to haunt us
Now, instead of jumping on the next big thing, potential viewers are happy to wait and see how the show fares over time.
Unfortunately, Netflix sees this as a lack of interest in the series and is axing it.
It creates the impression that Netflix wants mass viewership right away, and anything less than that won’t deliver.
On the bright side, several popular shows are returning in 2024 and 2025, including Arcane, Squid Game, Stranger Things (final season), Sweet Tooth, Love, Death and Robots, Castlevania: Nocturne, and Cobra Kai.
With 2024 nearly half over, dozens of shows are still scheduled to launch.
The only worry is how many people will watch the show and how many people will sit on their hands, anticipating the fate of the show.
Netflix follows the religious binging model
This is an educated guess since Netflix doesn’t spend a lot of time releasing detailed data for us to look at.
The model is simple: Netflix releases a show, and people watch it.
If there are not enough butts in the seats after a month or so, the show may be discontinued.
The sad part is that it doesn’t matter how many awards a series wins, how many outstanding reviews it shows up on the Tomatometer, or even if a show has been at the top of Netflix for a while.
If the show isn’t a nuclear explosion of viral sensation, it’s in danger.
This perpetuates the cycle that Netflix now finds itself in.
Why would I invest in anything interesting on Netflix if it could be dismissed because it had 80 million hours watched in the first week instead of 500 million?
5 spin-offs that never made it to the air
Mindhunter, Shadow and Bone, and Lockwood & Co. 1899 is a prime example. None of these shows was a hugely unpopular and largely unpopular series.
It wasn’t explosive enough for Netflix’s taste, especially during the first month.
“Completion rate” is another issue that Netflix seems to favor strongly.
If there are 10 episodes and you watch 8 of them before getting distracted by another show for a week or two, that’s not a positive outlook from Netflix’s perspective.
They want to finish, and they want it within a month.
The cost of producing the show is certainly a factor, but it is only important as a correlate of the binge model.
Ripple effect
Netflix’s tendency to cancel anything and everything we don’t sit down and watch immediately, all the time, causes a negative ripple effect.
The first is obvious. Fewer people will likely invest in shows on Netflix due to fear that Netflix will cancel them.
Netflix doesn’t care about that, regardless of the sensationalism and audience pleas.
Cliffs that made our jaws drop to the floor
It’s just as likely they’ll cancel the show after a brutal third season of suspense as the slow-burning first season.
Imagine the cliffhanger from Severance (Apple TV+) as the last scene you see from this show. never.
There was a mass meltdown after Lockwood & Co.’s announcement. About the cancellation, and it was really surprising.
Lockwood & Co. Strong completion rate, with nearly 80 million hours watched in three weeks.
It remained in the top ten for three consecutive weeks.
However, there was a residual decline in viewership week over week, enough to pull Netflix out from under it.
Another ripple effect is the way the chain is made.
It’s hard to blame creators for taking their projects elsewhere or only developing a limited, season-long story for Netflix.
There may be fewer slopes, too. It wouldn’t be surprising to see fewer cliffhanger endings in the future.
Chances are very high that Netflix will cancel it, and no one will ever get a fix.
The future of Netflix originals
Although Netflix isn’t immune to the “peak TV” problems faced by other major streaming networks, it has fared much better in the short and long term.
In fact, Netflix spent a cool $17 billion on original programming in 2024.
Now, it remains to be seen how many of these will be canceled a month after their release.
A few shows dominate live streaming. Is there any room for younger players?
The 3 Body Issue did well enough in its first season to merit a second season, while Cobra Kai will wrap things up this year with a series finale.
Originals are definitely coming to Netflix despite the decline in original content across the board.
It’s easy to blame Netflix for its seemingly knee-jerk cancellations, but the brand remains at the forefront of the industry.
On the other hand, Netflix cut more than a hundred shows at the beginning of 2024, so there is simultaneous growth and reduction. It all adds up to a rollercoaster ride for fans of Netflix originals and Netflix in general.
The evolving landscape on Netflix
One thing is for sure, Netflix is still the best.
As such, the business model is unlikely to change any time soon.
There’s a reason Neil Gaiman urges viewers to watch every episode of Sandman in one month.
He is well aware of Netflix’s careful consideration of completing the series within the first month of release.
Even a hugely popular franchise isn’t immune to Netflix’s bloodthirsty retaliation if fans don’t watch it quickly.
“Sandman is a really expensive show. For Netflix to release the money to let us do another season, we have to do incredibly well,” Gaiman tweeted in 2022.
“So yes, we have been the best show in the world for the last two weeks. But that may not be enough.
Sandman did exceptionally well on Netflix, but fans were very concerned about the future of season 2. This shows the kind of stress and anxiety that Netflix’s methodology creates among fans of its shows.
Officially, Netflix has renewed 16 shows in 2024, including 3 Body Issues, and canceled 4 of them, Obliterated and Ratchet.
Many popular shows, including Sweet Tooth, Vikings: Valhalla, The Umbrella Academy, Stranger Things, Cobra Kai, and Elite, will conclude with a series finale in 2024.
The chain of conclusions is the hardest to stomach and will be missed.
Next time you subscribe to Netflix, remember to analyze brand completeness. If you like the show, you better watch it all quickly.
If not, you’ll probably never see him again.
What do you think about Netflix’s cancellation-happy business model, and does it make you more or less likely to watch new shows on the platform?
Let us know what you think in the comments!
Thomas Godwin He is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. You can follow him on X
