10 Cancelled Netflix Shows That Deserved More Seasons

10 minutes reading

Tuesday, 24 Feb 2026 00:34 0 german11

Some of the best Netflix shows have been canceled after only one or two seasons despite their high quality and passionate fanbases. Shows like Stranger Things and The Crown have become pillars of the platform’s identity. Clearly, long-term storytelling is one of Netflix’s strong points when the shows receive the support they need.

10

The Get Down

Season 1 Released 2016. Season 2 Released 2017. Canceled 2017.

The Get Down's main cast poses for the series poster — The Get Down’s main cast poses for the series poster

Created by Elvis director Baz Luhrmann and Stephen Adly Guirgis, the musical series The Get Down traced the birth of hip-hop and disco in the South Bronx during the late 1970s, following a group of teenagers as they formed the fictional “Get Down Brothers.” Despite a soundtrack full of period classics, The Get Down was canceled after just one season, a decision Netflix announced after production difficulties, multiple showrunner changes, and a famously massive $120 million budget failed to translate into strong viewership.

The Get Down‘s exploration of the origins of hip-hop in the Bronx community provided the perfect opportunity to introduce new audiences into real-life music, graffiti, DJ culture, and oral storytelling in a fun and immersive way. While a second season seems unlikely under current Netflix strategies, especially given the colossal cost and Luhrmann’s primary focus on film work, there remains a vocal fan base that regrets The Get Down‘s early demise. Bringing The Get Down back as a limited continuation would honor its artistic ambition.

9

Warrior Nun

Season 1 Released 2020. Season 2 Released 2022. Canceled 2022.

Ava glaring and determined in Warrior Nun season 2 episode 6

Warrior Nun premiered on Netflix on July 2020 as a supernatural fantasy drama loosely adapted from the Warrior Nun Areala comics. The series followed Ava Silva, who wakes up in a morgue with a mystical artifact embedded in her back and discovers she’s part of a secret order of demon-fighting warrior nuns. Warrior Nun ran for two seasons before Netflix announced its cancellation. The decision shocked fans and creators alike, especially since the series often appeared in Netflix’s English-language Top 10.

Unfortunately, Warrior Nun apparently didn’t meet the streamer’s internal viewership thresholds. Yet, the series’ passionate fanbase gathered over 100,000 signatures and multi-million hashtag engagements in support for the show. At one point, Warrior Nun appeared to be “saved,” though plans shifted toward a proposed trilogy of feature films rather than a season 3 continuation. However, the Warrior Nun movies have failed to gain traction almost three full years later.

8

I Am Not Okay With This

Season 1 Released 2020. Canceled 2020.

I Am Not Okay With This' cast sits around arguing — I Am Not Okay With This’ cast sits around arguing

The coming-of-age dramedy I Am Not Okay With This premiered on Netflix on February 26, 2020, adapted from Charles Forsman’s comic of the same name. It follows Sydney Novak, a high-school student navigating grief, sexuality, and social alienation while discovering that her repressed emotions can manifest as uncontrollable telekinetic powers. I Am Not Okay With This was praised for its deadpan humor and emotionally honest performances. Yet, Netflix abruptly canceled the show in August 2020 after just one season, citing pandemic-related production costs.

Creator Jonathan Entwistle and cast members publicly expressed their disappointment with the cancelatoin, revealing that scripts for a second season were already in place and ready to go. Almost six years later, I Am Not Okay With This still deserves to return after resonating so strongly with viewers of all ages. Although the likelihood of a Netflix renewal remains low given the platform’s shift away from mid-budget originals, the passionate fan community and the existence of a partially written Season 2 suggest that a revival is possible.

7

Shadow & Bone

Season 1 Released 2021. Season 2 Released 2023. Canceled 2023.

Alina prepared to fight in Shadow and Bone

Starring Jessie Mei Li as the Sun Summoner Alina Starkov, Shadow & Bone introduced viewers to the war-torn realm of Ravka, where magic users face the Shadow Fold’s impenetrable darkness. Netflix renewed the show after a successful first season, but despite strong viewership figures, Netflix announced in November 2023 that Shadow & Bone would be canceled, and plans for a Six of Crows spin-off were also shelved. The cancellation followed industry upheaval caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which disrupted production planning.

Shadow & Bone season 2 reportedly ranks among Netflix’s most watched canceled shows, and its fandom remains passionate and active, with ongoing campaigns and social media efforts to revive the show or relocate it. Netflix’s cancellation appears firm, and a revival on the same platform seems unlikely, though continued fan engagement and the rising trend of shows finding new homes offer some hope.

6

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance

Season 1 Released 2019. Canceled 2019.

Deethra aka Deet cries in The Dark Crystal Age of Resistance

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance premiered on Netflix in 2019 as a prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 film The Dark Crystal. The eight-episode series expanded the world of Thra with lush puppetry and a deep respect for the original’s tone. Despite critical acclaim and an Emmy award for Outstanding Children’s Program, Netflix canceled The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance just weeks after its premiere, reportedly due to its high production costs and low audience numbers.

The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance‘s masterful handcrafted artistry still has a place in mainstream fantasy, even in an era dominated by CGI. Its world-building is exceptionally rich, with deep lore that rivals large franchises. Sadly, Age of Resistance didn’t receive the extended runway it needed to fully realize Thra’s full potential. While a continuation feels unlikely on Netflix due to the same economic concerns that led to its cancellation, Age of Resistance could find a viable home on another platform, at least through limited specials.

5

Santa Clarita Diet

First Season Released 2017. Second Season Released 2018. Third Season Released 2019. Canceled 2019.

Drew Barrymore and Timothy Oliphant pose with blood on them in Santa Clarita Diet series poster

The horror-comedy Santa Clarita Diet premiered in 2017, following Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant’s Sheila and Joel Hammond, suburban real estate agents whose lives are upended when Sheila becomes undead and develops a voracious appetite for human flesh. Santa Clarita Diet ran for three seasons over two years before Netflix canceled the show. Reportedly, cost-per-viewer considerations and the platform’s pivot away from mid-budget original comedies led to Santa Clarita Diet being cut short.

Santa Clarita Diet subverts both horror and sitcom tropes with remarkable consistency, and its cast elevates the material. Although a traditional Netflix revival feels unlikely now, especially after the death of the zombie genre as a whole, the concept of a family trying to stay together while literally navigating life and death makes Santa Clarita Diet a strong candidate for resurrection, at least in the form of a limited-release movie sequel.

4

Sense8

First Season 2015. Second Season:2017. Canceled 2017. Series Finale Special 2018.

Produced by the Wachoski sisters and J. Michael Straczynski, Sense8 follows eight strangers from around the globe who suddenly find themselves mentally and emotionally linked, allowing them to share skills and emotions. Across two seasons, Sense8 presented unprecedented international storytelling and an exceptionally diverse cast. Sadly, Netflix canceled the show after season 2’s release in 2017, prompting a massive online campaign that ultimately secured a two-hour special finale released in June 2018, the only closure the series ever received.

Sense8’s premise of psychic connection as a metaphor for shared humanity resonated intensely with fans who saw themselves reflected in characters across eight countries and cultures. The chances of a Sense8 revival are slim due to the high cost of its international production and the fact that a movie already served as a final farewell. Still, a sequel movie, a limited series reboot, or a narrative anthology inspired by the original concept are exciting ideas that exist within the realm of possibility.

3

The OA

Season 1 Released 2016. Season 2 Released 2019. Canceled 2019.

The OA, a genre-defying mystery drama created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, follows Prairie Johnson, a formerly blind woman who resurfaces after a seven-year disappearance with her sight restored, which precedes interdimensional travel and ritualistic “movements” that could shift reality itself. Season 2 deepened the story into even stranger metafictional territory and ended on a reality-bending cliffhanger. However, in 2019, Netflix canceled The OA despite its critical acclaim and a publicly stated five-season plan.

The OA‘s cancelation sparked immediate backlash, including organized fan campaigns and even a brief hunger strike outside Netflix’s offices. The OA has been hurt the most due to its painfully interrupted story and unanswered plot questions. The OA’s cult status has only intensified over time, making it one of the most daring unfinished works of the streaming era, and one whose continuation still feels possible.

2

GLOW

First Season Released 2017. Second Season Released 2018. Third Season Released 2019. Canceled 2020.

Glow's main cast poses around the Welcome to Las Vegas sign — Glow’s main cast poses around the Welcome to Las Vegas sign

Starred Alison Brie as struggling actress Ruth Wilder and Betty Gilpin as soap star Debbie Eagan, GLOW premiered in 2017 as a dramedy inspired by the real-life 1980s women’s wrestling promotion Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. GLOW charts the messy, competitive, and deeply human evolution of the female wrestlers’ friendship inside a scrappy syndicated wrestling show. Over three seasons, GLOW earned consistent critical acclaim, multiple Emmy nominations, and a reputation as one of Netflix’s smartest comedies.

In September 2019, Netflix renewed GLOW for a fourth and final season, but in October 2020, that renewal was reversed and the show was officially canceled, with Netflix citing COVID-19 production complications and budget concerns. GLO ‘s cancellation is particularly frustrating because writers had already broken the story for the final season, and production had begun before shutdowns halted everything. GLOW was promised a proper ending and had one mapped out, making its absence feel especially unfinished and unjustified.

1

Mindhunter

First Season 2017. Second Season 2019. Placed On Indefinite Hiatus 2020. Effectively Canceled 2023.

Mindhunter's detectives are reflected on each other in the series poster — Mindhunter’s detectives are reflected on each other in the series poster

Set in the late 1970s, Mindhunter dramatizes the early days of the FBI’s Behavioral Science Unit, following agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench as they interviewed imprisoned serial killers to develop criminal profiling techniques. Produced by David Fincher and created by Joe Penhall, Mindhunter ran for two seasons, to widespread critical acclaim for its writing, performances, and direction. However, Mindhunter entered indefinite hiatus in January 2020. Since then, Fincher has repeatedly stated that while he is proud of the series, its viewership did not justify its expense.

Mindhunter offers one of the most psychologically rigorous examinations of criminal pathology ever put on television. Its slow-burn structure and commitment to realism created a uniquely immersive tone that elevated it beyond typical crime dramas. The unresolved BTK arc alone is a narrative thread that feels deliberately unfinished. While a Season 3 revival remains improbable given Fincher’s commitments, Mindhunter retains a devoted audience that continues to rewatch and advocate for its return.

Which Netflix show cancelation hurts you the most?