Based on the levels of online outrage – not to mention the various petitions, campaigns, and hashtags that pop up in the aftermath – you’d have thought every single one of the 26 Netflix original fantasy shows to have been canned since the beginning of 2020 was some kind of all-conquering juggernaut.
The top brass ruffled more than a few feathers when they stated a popular series had never been axed without justification, and they might be right. Digging through the data, the numbers don’t lie; not enough people are watching the effects-heavy and action-packed exclusives until it’s too late, so the easiest method of staving off the axe is also the most obvious.
There was widespread dismay when Lockwood & Co. met its inevitable fate, but it only topped the weekly most-watched charts for a single week. Meanwhile, Shadow and Bone‘s second season never reached the number one spot at all, so you can understand why its most dedicated supporters are getting so concerned.
Season 2 of Warrior Nun only spent two weeks inside the Top 10, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself didn’t even get that far, neither did The Irregulars, while The Imperfects and Fate: The Winx Saga mustered only three and five weeks as one of the platform’s Top 10 titles respectively.
Elsewhere, The Night Agent was renewed almost instantly after seizing hold of the summit and refusing to let go, but all of the internet-fueled backlash in the world doesn’t mean a damn thing if people aren’t even bothering to watch a series in big enough numbers to guarantee it a stay of execution.
It sounds almost insulting to say so, but if folks don’t see it, they can’t save it.
