3 Netflix shows that went on for too long (& 6 canceled too soon)

We’ve seen so many great Netflix shows come out over the years, but not all of them got to make it past one season. Then, there are popular Netflix shows that keep being renewed for more and more seasons. But this isn’t always a good thing.

Sometimes the creative teams behind shows start to get sloppy in their writing because they’ve pretty much explored everything they possibly can in a show after so many seasons. In other words, there’s nothing left to write about. What ends up happening is that the show loses what made it entertaining in the first place. Then, when the show finally comes to an end, fans don’t remember the good parts of it. They only remember the bad parts. We see this happen too often with Netflix shows. Sometimes it’s best to end a show before it becomes bad or degrades in quality.

Another situation we see happening often is Netflix shows getting axed too soon. Viewers will get invested in a show and fall in love with the characters, only for it to be canceled a month or so later. This is happening a lot with new Netflix shows, and people are fed up. They’ve begun to give up on watching new shows because they don’t want to waste their time if the shows will just end up being canceled. We know it’s a business move on why Netflix cancels some of its shows, but it just doesn’t seem fair at times.

If you’re interested, we shared our list of the Netflix shows we believe went on for too long. We also decided to share a list of Netflix shows we believe were canceled too soon.

Netflix shows that went on for too long

You

I’m sorry, You fans. I love Penn Badgley, and I love watching him portray Joe Goldberg in the addictive thriller series You, but this show has overstayed its welcome. In March 2023, Netflix finally pulled the plug. They announced that the upcoming fifth season would be the last, but honestly, the show could’ve ended after the third season. Don’t get me started on the fourth season… It just dragged on and on for no reason at all.

We’re not going to spoil anything, just in case you haven’t watched it yet, but Joe’s story could’ve easily wrapped up in You season 3. I mean, a fan-favorite character dies in the season 3 finale, and Joe is able to go on with his life. But Netflix decided to continue the show for another two seasons, and the fourth season just wasn’t as entertaining as previous seasons. This makes me believe that the upcoming fifth and final season will be another letdown.

The Umbrella Academy

The Umbrella Academy is another show that should’ve ended earlier. It consists of three seasons, with a fourth and final season expected to come out in late 2023 at the earliest or sometime in 2024. Honestly, the superhero series could’ve come to a close with its third season. With how everything wrapped up in the third season, it could’ve easily served as the ending to the show. It might not have been the ending fans wanted, but it would’ve still told a complete story.

Elite

I was a huge fan of Elite when it first came out in 2018. In fact, I remained a fan of the Spanish teen series until the fourth season. After the third season, most of the original cast left, and the show just didn’t have a plot anymore. Now all the show is about is characters sleeping together and swapping partners. It’s like the writers just stop putting effort into their writing, and it’s definitely noticeable. Elite should’ve ended its run a long time ago, but that’s just our opinion. Netflix continues to milk this series for all it’s worth, and we see this now with the season 8 renewal.

Netflix shows that were canceled too soon

1899

Sadly, Netflix didn’t even give this show a chance. After premiering its first season in November 2022, the streaming giant decided to give the mystery-horror series the boot only two months later. Fans were devastated and surprised to find out the show would be ending after only one season. It had received positive reviews from critics, and tons of people had watched it. But apparently, this wasn’t enough. And it’s a huge bummer because the first season ends on a huge cliffhanger. Now1899 will forever be remembered as another great show that went down the drain.

Everything Sucks!

Oh, let’s go back to the start. Everything Sucks! was one of my favorite coming-of-age series on Netflix. It was set in the ’90s and followed groups of teen outcasts in their high school’s AV and drama clubs. Viewers watched as the teens navigated the ups and downs of teenage life, such as finding their sexualities, dating, mental health, and growing up.

The first season of the teen series was released in February 2018 but was canceled two months later. The reason for its cancellation was because it didn’t generate enough views. Not enough people finished watching the first season, so Netflix had no other choice but to cancel it. Everything does truly suck.

I Am Not Okay With This

Like the show’s title, I wasn’t okay with Netflix canceling this teen drama series after only one season. But what makes this cancellation hit harder than other cancellations is that it was initially renewed for a second season. Yes, you read that right. There was going to be an I Am Not Okay With This season 2, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Netflix decided to reverse its renewal. Now we’ll never know the identity of the man who appeared from the dark and approached Sydney in the season 1 finale.

The Society

People are still mad about The Society‘s cancellation to this day, and rightly so. Like I Am Not Okay With This, The Society was initially renewed for a second season but was ultimately canceled after only one season due to COVID-related circumstances. I wish Netflix would pick the mystery teen drama series back up so we can see a continuation of the story. But I know this won’t happen.

Julie and the Phantoms

Julie and the Phantoms fans, are you still there? After the first season of the musical drama series dropped on Netflix in September 2020, fans waited patiently for the streamer to renew the show for a second season. But unfortunately, Netflix opted not to renew for an additional installment. To make matters worse, it’s still unclear why the streamer decided to cancel the show. This musical series deserved a second season, and we can’t believe it didn’t happen.

First Kill

First Kill‘s cancellation hurt me deeply, and I will never get over it. The show centers around a sapphic love story, and Netflix doesn’t have many shows that do this. Well, it has some, but those types of shows never go past a first season… It’s become an unfortunate pattern at this point. And sadly, the supernatural teen drama series joins the list because it was canceled after only one season in August 2022.

You can stream all of the shows mentioned above on Netflix right now.