SEASON 2. Lizzy Greene as Lauren in Episode 201 of Ransom Canyon Season 2.Courtesy of Netflix
Netflix is not doing all that much to dissuade the idea that it is frequently cancelling series after two seasons, namely due to viewership drops with long gaps between seasons. Now, once again, a show is dead after season 2, one that resonated with some viewers quite a bit.
That would be Ransom Canyon, the western romance story starring Josh Duhamel and Minka Kelly. A month and a half after season 2 aired, Netflix has now cancelled the series, which will not come back for season 3.
Can you guess why? Yes, it’s the infamous sophomore slump for Netflix shows, which can extend to other streaming services as well, but the binge format tends to not help the situation on Netflix.Ransom Canyon season 2 lost 43% of its viewers after season 1, going from 7.2 million views in its first week to 4.1 million for season 2.
The catch here, however, was that this time around, it was not an extremely long gap between seasons, which often accounts for that drop. The show returned after a year and four months, which at least in the context of the current streaming space, is not that bad. So, in this case, it could be season 1 not resonating enough, though the data shows that audience scores are positive for both seasons of the series. Or, as can also happen, season 2 wasn’t advertised enough, and people simply didn’t know it was returning, so it got buried in a sea of nonstop new releases.
Ransom Canyon was attempting to follow the path of Sweet Magnolias, a 5-season romance series that continues today. The record for the genre, and possibly close to an all-time record for Netflix itself, isVirgin River, which was renewed for season 8. Ransom Canyon is clearly not going the distance.
Star Minka Kelly made a statement about the cancellation on Instagram:
“Appreciating this little trip down memory lane as we say farewell,” Kelly wrote, “All good things must come to an end. And so it is. Thank you all for giving us two beautiful seasons! I love you forever my Ransom Canyon family!!”
Once again, Ransom Canyon was not able to tie up its loose ends, given that season 2 was never meant to be the end of the series, and so it joins the graveyard of unfinished Netflix series, many of which ended after, you guessed it, season 2. So, if you want shows you like to continue, you really, really have to show up the second time around, or Netflix’s axe will rapidly swing down.
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This article was originally published onForbes.com
