Having shaken the content library to its core with a recent spate of cancellations and instant removals, Disney Plus subscribers will be wondering which high-profile title could possibly be next in line to fall under the executioner’s axe.
If hotly-hyped sequel series Willow can be discarded one season in and removed from the library, and action-packed fantasy The Princess can be exiled to leave its creators concerned nobody will ever be able to see it again, all before $50 million sci-fi Crater lasted just seven weeks before having the noose tied around its next, could American Born Chinese be next?
On paper, the answer should be a resounding “no,” because we’re talking about a star-studded comic book adaptation boasting Academy Award winners Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan among the ensemble alongside fellow Everything Everywhere All at Once cohorts Stephanie Hsu and James Hong, all wrapped up in the critical acclaim of a 94 percent Rotten Tomatoes score, never mind the fact Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton executive produces and directs the first and last episodes.
However, the series was barely marketed at all prior to its release, didn’t chart on Disney Plus’ most-watched rankings, was nowhere near the Nielsen streaming ratings, and was “rewarded” with a “multi-platform event” that saw select installments screened on ABC, Hulu, Roku, and YouTube, which isn’t something that generally happens to a widely popular show.
Of course, there are no inklings or inclinations that a removal is even on the cards, but would anyone be shocked if American Born Chinese were next in line to be culled? Let’s hope not, because it didn’t generate anywhere near enough noise as it should have done, while Cretton’s exclusive development deal with Disney should hopefully be a factor in ensuring something he put his name on guarantees a long-term future on the platform.