Netflix shows that got cancelled in 2020
The year 2020 has given us some amazing new series to binge-watch on Netflix. While most of our favorite and most popular shows have gotten renewed for new seasons giving us something to look forward to next year. Unfortunately, not all will be returning.
This past year, Netflix has announced the cancellation of several series over Coronavirus-related concerns, high cost of production, or low viewership. As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look back at some shows on Netflix that, unfortunately, got the axe in 2020.
GLOW
GLOW, a series inspired by the real-life Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, was cancelled after three seasons.
The series starred Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin and Marc Maron, delivered a major shake-up for the girls as they took their wrestling show all the way to Las Vegas, and ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. GLOW had actually completed filming one episode and had started on a second of the fourth season when production was suspended in mid-March amid the escalating COVID outbreak.
In October 2020, Netflix officially cancelled the series due to the high production cost and the health and safety concerns of shooting a wrestling-centric series amid the pandemic.
I Am Not Okay With This
There have been a number of coming-of-age teen dramas that debuted on Netflix this year, including I Am Not Okay With This, based on a graphic novel by Charles Forsman.
The first season of the live action adaptation follows Sydney Novak (Sophia Lillis), a teenager dealing with the everyday woes of growing up along with her burgeoning superpowers.
Though the series from the team behind The End of the F***ing World was originally set to have a second season, with a storyline already planned out to address unresolved issues raised in the first, we’ll never get to see what happens beyond the seven episodes as Netflix decided not to push through with another season.
Altered Carbon
Back in April, Netflix announced that it had cancelled its adaptation of Altered Carbon after two seasons, marking the end of yet another big-budget adaptation for the streaming service.
The show originally debuted in 2018 as a marquee series for Netflix: a gritty, adult sci-fi show based on a popular series of novels with a sky-high budget.
With the number of new projects and shows now available on the streaming platform, the cancellation was made for the company’s usual cost / benefit reasons as the series mustered only a lukewarm response and never reached the heights of popularity necessary for a third run.
Anne with an E
Anne With an E, a reimagining of the Lucy Maud Montgomery classic Anne of Green Gables, was cancelled after three seasons as CBC cut ties with Netflix.
The YA drama series follows the foibles of Anne Shirley, a plucky and passionate orphan who finds an unlikely home with a spinster and her soft-spoken brother. While the third and final season managed to bring a satisfying conclusion to Anne's journey, there’s plenty of material still left to adapt in the future in another format or network, since the original books follow Anne well into adulthood.
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance
The American fantasy streaming television series produced by Netflix and The Jim Henson Company served as a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson film, The Dark Crystal, that explores the world of Thra created for the original film.
While the Emmy-winning fantasy series showcased some truly incredible puppet work and had a cult following on its series premiere in August 2019, it sadly couldn’t secure a second season on Netflix. In September 2020, it was announced that the series had been cancelled after one season
Spinning Out
Even before the pandemic hit full swing, Netflix already gave a couple of shows the axe, including the figure skating drama Spinning Out after just one season.
The series followed competitive skater Kat Baker, who battles personal demons and faces drama both on and off the ice after a devastating fall threatens her career.
The cancellation came just over a month after the show premiered on Jan 1, 2020. Though Netflix didn’t reveal much information about its viewing figures, it is believed that Spinning Out was axed because the show didn’t manage to bring enough views compared to how much it cost to make.
Next in Fashion
Next in Fashion was an entertaining show that debuted at the start of the year that did not manage to make the cut.
Netflix cancelled the Project Runway-like fashion competition series hosted by Queer Eye’s Tan France and model Alexa Chung after only a single season. The 10-episode reality show follows a group of aspiring fashion designers hoping to make it big within the industry.
The Society
The Society, which follows the story of a group of teenagers who must learn to run their own community after the rest of the population of their town mysteriously disappears, also got the axe. The dystopian teen drama had its renewal revoked, due to complications caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Teenage Bounty Hunters
The teen comedy Teenage Bounty Hunters saw a moderately positive response from critics, but was cancelled after only its first season when it failed to draw in a large audience.
Messiah
After dropping on Jan. 1, 2020 and debuting to a mixed response, the American thriller series Messiah proved to be one of Netflix’s first high-profile cancellations of the year.
While the series left enough opened at the close of its 10-part first season to continue, Netflix announced that the series would not be returning for a second season back in March.
(Images by Netflix)