Netflix is undeniably one of the biggest streaming platforms in the world, and has given subscribers some truly incredible TV since it started producing original content in 2012. Despite making countless binge-worthy shows and documentaries, some of Netflix’s dumbest cancelations have infuriated audiences worldwide.
The truth is that Netflix is worried about TV shows losing viewers after one season, but series don’t instantly find their audience, and popularity can build over time. Not everything can be the next pop culture phenomenon like “Stranger Things,” “Wednesday,” or “Squid Game.” Some shows also find a second life years after they have ended their initial run. There are plenty of TV shows Netflix canceled too soon, but are still worth watching.
Santa Clarita Diet
“Santa Clarita Diet” isn’t just a missed opportunity for Netflix, it’s an underrated sitcom in general. Just look at the cast: Drew Barrymore, Timothy Olyphant, Skyler Gisondo, Liv Hewson, Nathan Fillion, and Joel McHale. “The Santa Clarita Diet” had it all! It’s a hilarious zombie-comedy-horror set in the suburbs, as a family try to satiate Sheila Hammond’s (Drew Barrymore) lust for human flesh after she accidentally eats a parasitic creature.
She’s technically undead, but retains her personality for a while until she needs to feast on blood, guts, and brains. It has a great twist on typical zombie tropes, and the show adds fascinating lore to its world by introducing the Knights of Serbia. They’re a group dedicated to stopping the zombie plague from spreading, adding an even whackier element to what is already a wild sitcom. “Santa Clarita Diet” is worth watching just to see the Hammonds try and deal with them.
Barrymore isn’t the only star who flexes her comedic chops in the canceled Netflix show. Olyphant also shines as Sheila’s husband, Joel. His killer one-liners were brilliant, like: “You can’t eat our neighbor. He’s knee-deep in his herb garden!” Canceling the show after Season 3’s cliffhanger was absolutely criminal.
Terminator Zero
It’s fair to say that “The Terminator” franchise hasn’t been exactly well received on the big screen in the last decade, with middling sequels, prequels, and reboots all failing to reignite the spark of James Cameron’s original movies. But Netflix’s animated “Terminator Zero” series was a breath of fresh air for the cybernetic franchise, telling an ambitious self-contained story.
The series approached the idea of Judgement Day and Terminators with completely fresh eyes as it’s set in its own timeline — and argues that every time someone has traveled back in time (Cough, Kyle Reese), it kickstarts a separate new timeline. Here, the action takes place in Japan, 1997, when futuristic soldier Eiko (Sonoya Mizuno) arrives to protect AI scientist Malcolm Lee (Andre Holland). The difference here is that there’s a rival AI system, Kokoro, which could protect humanity from Skynet, but might herald a different dystopian future.
“Terminator Zero” is even suitable for viewers not familiar with the movies because it feels completely fresh. Plus, with the show taking place in Japan, it feels distinctly different from the American-set movies, and Production I.G.’s anime style is gorgeous to look at. Creator and writer Mattson Tomlin (who co-wrote “The Batman”) had 5 seasons mapped out and already finished the scripts for Season 2. He said on X that the show was canceled because “not nearly enough people watched it.” Ouch.
The Boroughs
Considering the world was still grieving the end of “Stranger Things,” it was quite fitting that one of the Duffer brothers’ next projects, “The Boroughs,” was about coping with grief. The series follows Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina), who moves into the titular retirement community after the death of his wife, Lilly (Jane Kaczmarek). But, he soon discovers that the elderly residents are being led on by a brood of monsters.
It balances heart and heartbreak in equal measure, as Sam and a handful of his fellow residents try to peel back the mystery surrounding the Boroughs. The isolated setting works brilliantly to serve its eccentric characters (and creatures). Molina might be best known for his role as the iconic “Spider-Man” villain, Doctor Octopus, but he’s doing some excellent work as a grieving husband. By the end of the show, he not only figures out what’s going on in the community, he’s come to terms with losing Lilly.
Perhaps it was too soon after “Stranger Things” for it to be a success, but the stage was set for the story to continue with an intriguing cliffhanger for Sam. Unfortunately, subscribers will never know if his clash with the creatures has really changed him into something else, or if it was all in his head. The eight-episode series reportedly cost Netflix upwards of $80 million, which is why it was canceled.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
It was astounding that there wasn’t another chapter of Jim Henson and Frank Oz’s “The Dark Crystal” after the 1982 fantasy movie became a cult hit. But in 2017, Netflix changed that by expanding the franchise with a prequel series, “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance.” It’s set roughly a century before the movie, and was lovingly made with an array of puppets that recapture the magic of the original movie.
It combines traditional puppetry with modern effects, and the result is truly beautiful. Perhaps it was too niche to land with some audiences, but it was a treat for anyone who grew up loving Henson’s puppets on the big screen. “Age of Resistance” deepened the mythology of the original movie while also setting it up when the Gelflings find the missing shard from the crystal.
Do we even need to mention the sheer excellence of the voice cast? Anya Taylor-Joy, Taron Egerton, Helena Bonham Carter, Nathalie Emmanuel, Simon Pegg, Mark Hamill, and … Well, maybe it’s easier to just say it was star-studded. This show was made with supreme love and care for the original movie, while forging its own path, and deserved at least another season. Unfortunately, Netflix canceled it the day after it won an Emmy for Outstanding Children’s Program in 2020.
Mindhunter
“Mindhunter” is one of the best TV crime dramas of all time. That’s it, that’s the argument. The series follows FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), who work with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv) to examine serial killers and figure out why they commit unspeakable crimes. It would’ve been easy for the show to dive right into horror territory given the real-life killers it deals with (Ed Kemper, Charles Manson, and Richard Speck, to name a few).
Instead, the episodes crank up the intensity, so the show’s on a knife edge, but it never goes to the extreme, partly because it’s based on real life. The story is taken from the true crime book of the same name, co- a real FBI agent who interviewed some of the real killers to develop criminal personality profiling. Ford and Tench are based on Douglas and his partner Robert Ressler
One of the things that made “Mindhunter” so great was that it was made to a cinematic standard, and was produced by Academy award winner David Fincher. With a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, it’s hugely disappointing that it hasn’t continued. Season 3 was set to pick up with the BTK killer storyline, and the team were also going to Hollywood as consultants for “Manhunter” and “Silence of the Lambs.” But no, Netflix canceled “Mindhunter” in 2020, and Fincher later confirmed it was too expensive to make. Boo!
