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Earlier this week, Netflix hit creators Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese dark, hit Instagram with sad news: their new series, 1899, despite debuting to critical acclaim and breaking into the streaming top 10 in late 2022, will not be renewed for a second season. “We would love to wrap up this incredible journey with Seasons 2 and 3, as we have done. dark,” the pair wrote. “But sometimes things don’t go the way you plan them to. ”
Planning is an interesting thing in the streaming business.obscure show like squid game Can find their audience, become cultural juggernauts, and then get extra seasons.others, such as Samurai nun, Rabid fans can also be found, but they are not numerous enough to sustain life.As the streaming landscape expands, the odds of any show surviving are starting to feel squid game itself — and the buzz of “red light,” “green light,” keeping everyone on their toes.
A lot has changed for Netflix in recent months: subscriber churn, new ad-supported pricing tiers. Its recent string of failed shows has people wondering what’s written on the wall.someone suggested 1899It reportedly died because its “completion rate” — the percentage of viewers who actually finished watching a show — fell below 50%. Others pointed out that the show was expensive. Some people think it just got lost in the shuffle.
In fact, as Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos once said, “It’s 70 percent guts and 30 percent data.” There’s no single metric that dictates what a streamer does or doesn’t do. Now more than ever, Netflix has to focus on its bottom line — big-budget shows are risky if they don’t become hits. But it does feel short-sighted to kill the show before it finds a following. At a time when the streaming giant needs to retain subscribers, experts will tell you that being a forgotten graveyard for unfinished shows isn’t the best way to please its loyal fanbase.
To be honest, this explanation is not entirely correct. Shows get canceled all the time, and people who get excited about TV—especially genre TV—know that there’s a chance that something they love will never reach the conclusion its creators hoped it would, and that it could truly be endless. Sometimes those outdated shows—firefly, office automation– gaining more cult status for their cancellation.
will this happen 1899?even Samurai nun? Well, maybe. But maybe that’s not the point. Netflix used to be a place where weirder, more obscure shows got a place and a time to thrive.but 1899 The cancellation shows that the company, like any streaming company, will now have to operate like the TV networks that came before it. When cable TV — especially cable original programming — came along, the major networks suddenly had a lot less viewers. Streaming has reached that inflection point. The good news is that services like Netflix are creating all kinds of lost gems for people to discover later; the bad news is that these companies may not always want to keep those shows.
