11 Great Netflix Shows That Were Canceled Too Early

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It’s frustrating when you become really invested in a Netflix show, only to have it canceled unexpectedly, right? We’ve all experienced that. Netflix is amazing at delivering new and captivating stories. They have a huge selection, offer a wide variety of genres, and consistently release series that quickly become obsessions.

Netflix is quick to cancel shows, even when they’re doing well. It’s frustrating because these cancellations often aren’t about the show’s quality—they’re due to things like low viewer numbers, budget changes, or the company simply changing its mind. The worst part is that these are often shows with great writing, acting, and promising storylines that never got the chance to finish properly. This is a tribute to 11 Netflix series that deserved a better fate.

‘Santa Clarita Diet’ (2017 – 2019)

It’s not typical for real estate agents in the suburbs to be murderers, but then again, it’s not common for them to be zombies! The show Santa Clarita Diet starts with a wild idea: Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore) suddenly becomes a zombie with a constant craving for human meat. Surprisingly, her husband, Joel (Timothy Olyphant), decides to help her navigate this bizarre new reality.

Despite featuring zombies, the show Santa Clarita Diet was actually a story about a marriage and a couple committed to each other, even in incredibly difficult circumstances – like dealing with the aftermath of Sheila’s condition. Netflix canceled the show after three seasons, officially citing its budget. However, creator Victor Fresco believes the real reason was that Netflix preferred to invest in new shows with the potential to attract new subscribers, rather than continuing with a series that already had a dedicated audience. To make matters worse, the show ended on a major cliffhanger, leaving Sheila’s fate unresolved. Even seven years later, the cancellation remains a puzzling decision for many Netflix viewers.

‘The Recruit’ (2022 – 2025)


Netflix

Netflix found a hit with The Recruit, a fun and lighthearted spy series starring Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks, a new lawyer at the CIA who quickly gets caught up in global mysteries. Unlike other spy shows on Netflix, this one has a playful and humorous tone. The second season took the story to Seoul, introduced actor Teo Yoo (known from Past Lives), and featured much-improved writing, resulting in a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Season 2 of The Recruit was actually better than its first season, but unfortunately, it was canceled. While the first three weeks of Season 1 drew 26.4 million viewers, Season 2 had 15.3 million. This drop in viewership, along with a two-year delay due to the Hollywood strikes, proved too much to overcome. The timing wasn’t ideal either, as The Night Agent was already the most popular show when Season 2 of The Recruit was released.

‘KAOS’ (2024)

Netflix’s KAOS was a surprisingly fresh and inventive series – arguably their most original in years. It reimagines Greek mythology in a contemporary world where the gods act like wealthy tech CEOs and ordinary people struggle under their power. The show starred Jeff Goldblum as Zeus, hilariously portraying him as an anxious, self-conscious ruler desperately afraid of a prophecy that could topple him. It’s baffling that Netflix didn’t renew it! Created by Charlie Covell, known for The End of the Fing World, KAOS offered a unique and compelling take on familiar stories.

Despite strong points like its detailed world and unique style, Netflix canceled the show KAOS after just one season. Although it quickly gained popularity, reaching #3 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 and staying in the top 10 for four weeks, it didn’t maintain enough viewers after the initial launch. The show had a complex, long-term storyline planned by creator Covell, but its high production costs probably led to the cancellation, as it was a close call between renewal and being canceled.

‘The Society’ (2019)


Netflix

Netflix’s The Society took the premise of Lord of the Flies and updated it for today’s teens. The show is both disturbing and completely captivating, centering around a group of high school students who find themselves in a perfect copy of their town, but with all the adults gone. Without any rules or answers, they’re forced to navigate power struggles that feel authentic and have serious consequences. The characters, especially Allie Pressman (played by Kathryn Newton before her Marvel fame), are remarkably complex – a level of depth rarely seen in shows aimed at young adults.

Despite positive reviews – an 86% score on Rotten Tomatoes – and an official renewal for a second season, the show The Society won’t be continuing. Netflix cancelled Season 2 due to challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, including difficulties with production, cast availability, and rising costs. Netflix explicitly stated the pandemic was the reason for this ‘difficult decision’.

‘Shadow and Bone’ (2021 – 2023)


Netflix

Leigh Bardugo’s popular Grishaverse was brought to the screen in Shadow and Bone. The series starred Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, a character who discovers she has the power to summon sunlight. The show cleverly blended the stories from Bardugo’s original Shadow and Bone trilogy with her Six of Crows duology, giving fans a detailed and magical world filled with compelling characters, including Kaz Brekker (played by Freddy Carter) and the Darkling (Ben Barnes).

The second season of the show was a hit, appearing in Netflix’s Top 10 for five weeks and ranking among the top 26 out of over a thousand programs during the first half of the year. Despite its popularity, the show’s production faced significant delays due to the writers’ and actors’ strikes, disrupting Netflix’s plans. Ultimately, Netflix canceled Shadow and Bone in 2023 because viewership didn’t justify the production costs. Sadly, a spin-off based on Six of Crows was already in development with a writers’ room and completed scripts.

‘1899’ (2022)

After the huge success of Dark, one of the most acclaimed sci-fi shows of all time, creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar set out to make something even bigger. Their new series, 1899, is a mysterious and suspenseful period drama set aboard a steamship traveling across the Atlantic. The ship carries immigrants from Europe, each with a hidden past. It’s a complex story filled with symbolism, changing realities, and a growing feeling of unease.

I was really impressed with 1899. It used this amazing, new technology – the same LED screens they used on The Mandalorian – to build these incredibly detailed and unsettling sets. You could tell they were really trying to do something special. But sadly, it was cancelled after just a couple of months. I heard the biggest reason was that not enough people actually finished the first season. Apparently, only about 32% of viewers made it through, while shows like Heartstopper and The Lincoln Lawyer had completion rates over 50%. Netflix figured if you didn’t finish Season 1, you probably wouldn’t watch Season 2, so they decided to cut their losses.

‘I Am Not Okay With This’ (2020)


Netflix

Okay, so I just finished watching I Am Not Okay With This and wow, it really gets what it’s like to be a teenager – all the messy feelings and everything. But this show has a twist! It’s based on a comic and follows Sydney, who’s dealing with a lot – grief, being super angry, and then… she starts discovering she has telekinesis! Seriously, her emotions are so strong they actually make things – and people – move around. It’s wild!

The show felt raw and personal, with short episodes, dry wit, and a soundtrack that blended supernatural themes with indie music. It drew inspiration from films like Carrie and the visual style of John Hughes. Viewers really connected with it, and Netflix had secretly approved a second season, with all the scripts already finished. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, those plans were canceled, so we’ll never know who the mysterious hooded figure is that Sydney meets in the final episode.

‘GLOW’ (2017 – 2019)


Netflix

As a total cinema devotee, I was hooked by GLOW immediately. It’s rare to find a show that manages to balance so many interesting themes – the tough world of show business, the complicated dynamics of female friendships, and the wonderfully over-the-top world of 1980s professional wrestling. The series centers around Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, and Marc Maron, and it follows the creation of a low-budget women’s wrestling program called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.

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I was such a huge fan of GLOW! It got amazing reviews – 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is incredible – and Netflix actually gave it a fourth season! We were all so excited, but then, just as they started filming in early 2020, the pandemic hit. Because the show was so physical – all the wrestling and close contact – and with everything so uncertain about COVID, the costs just kept going up. Sadly, Netflix decided it was too expensive to finish the season, which was really disappointing.

‘The OA’ (2016 – 2019)


Netflix

The Netflix series The OA launched with very little promotion, but quickly gained popularity through viewers telling their friends. Brit Marling starred as Prairie Johnson, a woman who was blind for seven years and then suddenly regained her sight, returning with a mysterious story about other worlds. While not everyone loved it, the show developed a dedicated fanbase who admired its bold ideas and unique approach.

Marling and Zal Batmanglij originally planned a five-season arc for their show, but Netflix canceled it just under five months after the second part was released, explaining that it was too expensive to continue. Netflix offered the creators a chance to finish the story with a movie, but they declined. Fans protested – one even went on a hunger strike outside Netflix headquarters, petitions were signed, and people publicly recreated scenes from the show. However, despite these efforts, the show wasn’t renewed.

‘Sense8’ (2015 – 2018)

The show Sense8 centers around eight strangers from different parts of the world who unexpectedly find they’re mentally and emotionally linked. These individuals, known as “sensates,” are part of a hidden evolutionary branch and are targeted by a mysterious group. While the concept sounds complicated, Sense8 became one of Netflix’s most groundbreaking, uplifting, diverse, and emotionally resonant series, thanks to the creative team of Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski.

The show received a GLAAD Media Award and quickly gained a remarkably dedicated following. Despite its success, Netflix canceled it in 2017 after just two seasons because it was very expensive to produce—around $9 million per episode—and didn’t attract a large enough audience to justify the cost. Fans protested the decision and successfully convinced Netflix to create a two-hour special to provide a proper ending to the series.



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2026-03-07 00:36