Why was Anne With an E canceled?

Even after a petition to save it from cancellation, it looks like Anne With an E will not be continuing on Netflix. But why?

For those who are unfamiliar, Anne With an E is loosely based on the classic story Anne of Green Gables, and stars Amybeth McNulty as the protagonist, Anne Shirley. It originally premiered on the Canadian network CBC in 2017.

After a little rebranding, the series changed the name, adding a bit more edge. And then just a few months after making its initial debut on CBC, Anne With an E made its international debut, becoming streamable on Netflix.

For a little while, everything seemed to be going pretty well for the fan-favorite. By 2019, the coming-of-age series already had three solid seasons under its production belt and multiple nominations for the writing, editing, and grade-A acting to boot.

Still, a decent run isn’t always enough in the current state of things. In 2020, you never know what popular series might be getting the axe next.

Is Anne With an E season 4 happening?

Following the season 3 finale, it was announced that the series would not be renewed. According to various reports, the reasons for cancelling the popular series were complicated, but legitimate. And apparently, it wasn’t up to those behind the show, who fought with the fans to keep it going for as long as possible.

In an Instagram post, producer Moira-Walley Beckett explained her side of the story. She wrote:

"Please know that we fought, too. We tried to change their minds. We tried to find a new home. We tried for a finale movie… We tried our best. Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing…..But it’s impossible to argue with words like Economics, Algorithms, Demographics, etc., etc. But those words and others like them are the reason why the Networks don’t want to continue. And we didn’t find a taker anywhere else."

So it looks like Beckett chose to reveal that networks don’t want to continue to series because of, “words like Economics, Algorithms, Demographics, etc., etc.” As popular as the show was, it’s kind of hard to believe it was canceled because of lack of viewership.

I guess Netflix was sadly not the place for Anne With an E. Fingers crossed the series finds “a taker” and it is picked up for a fourth season down the road.