1899, Shadow and Bone, and the most brutal Netflix cancellations of 2023

We’re nearing the end of another great year for Netflix, and it’s time to look back at what all occurred in 2023 with the streaming platform. We loved seeing many of our favorite Netflix shows get renewed for additional seasons. But we were devastated to see so many Netflix cancellations as well.

The streamer didn’t hold back at all on giving the boot to many of its shows this year. If the viewing hours for a show weren’t high enough to its standards, Netflix was quick to drop it. No show was safe. I mean, not one.

It sucks that we’ll never get to see these Netflix shows again, and some of them we’ll definitely miss. To refresh your memory, we’ve decided to share a list of some of the worst Netflix cancellations of 2023. Naturally, we’d start with the cancellation that hurt the most,1899.

1899

If you’re a fan of the sci-fi thriller series Dark, you probably were looking forward to watching 1899. It was created by Dark creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar and was released on Netflix in November 2022.

Unfortunately, the streaming giant decided to axe the mystery-thriller series after only one season in January 2023. While Netflix never revealed why it canceled the show, many people have speculated that the cancellation was because the completion rate for the first season was low.

While many people started the series, they didn’t watch it to the end, which messed with its chance of being renewed. It was a pretty expensive series, so Netflix didn’t want to invest in another season of the show if not a lot of people were watching it.

It’s such a huge bummer that 1899 isn’t coming back because the first season ends on a huge cliffhanger.

Shadow and Bone

I hate to say it, but this is one of the Netflix cancellations of the year that didn’t surprise me one bit. On Nov. 15, it was reported that the fantasy series would not be returning with a third season because it had been officially canceled by Netflix.

We had a feeling that the show wouldn’t be coming back because it was taking extremely long for Netflix to make a decision. The second season was released in March 2023, and we’re just now finding out the show’s fate eight months later. It didn’t take this long last time around.

Apparently, it mostly came down to low viewership numbers for the second season. That’s one of the main reasons why the fantasy series was canceled, along with additional factors. Unfortunately, the Shadow and Bone spinoff, Six of Crows, was also scrapped by Netflix.

Inside Job

Inside Job was another Netflix cancellation that hurt deeply but on another level. The adult animated series from Gravity Falls writer Shion Takeuchi was initially renewed for a second season in June 2022, but Netflix decided to reverse its renewal decision and cancel the series in January 2023.

Show creator Shion Takeuchi shared the sad news on her X page in early January 2023. Again, we never got an answer on why the show was canceled, but our guess is that it came down to viewing numbers. While the first half of season 1 fared well, it doesn’t look like the second half pulled in the same kind of numbers, so Netflix decided to change its mind and cancel the series. It looks like the streamer jumped the gun too early.

Part 2 of the first season hadn’t even come out yet, and Netflix had already renewed the animated series for another season. Then, when part 2 finally dropped and the viewing hours turned out to be low, Netflix decided to reverse the season 2 renewal. Another show gone too soon…

Welcome to Eden

I hate to say it, but I saw Welcome to Eden‘s cancellation coming. When the first season came out, tons of people streamed it, and it managed to stay in the global top 10 for a long time. But the second season wasn’t able to do the same. Less people watched the second season, and it fell out of the top 10 fairly quickly. I just hate that we’ll never get to see how the story continues.

Things finally came to a head in the season 2 finale, and I was really looking forward to seeing what would happen next if there were to be a third season.

Dead End: Paranormal Park

Dead End: Paranormal Park was one of my feel-good series, and now I have to find another show to replace it since it’s been canceled. Its cancelation was one of the first cancelations of 2023, happening in January 2023. What makes this cancellation even sadder is that the series creator Hamish Steele and his team had already begun working on the scripts for a third season. So to see all of their hard work go to waste is just horrible.

Lockwood & Co.

Lockwood & Co. didn’t even get the chance to show the world what it could be because it was canceled after only one season in May 2023. However, this is another show I wasn’t surprised got the boot.

Honestly, all the blame really goes to Netflix because they barely promoted this show. The streamer waited until the very last minute to release the official trailer. Seriously! The trailer dropped on Jan. 12, and then the first season was released a little over two weeks later. Netflix usually drops a show’s trailer a month or so prior to its release.

Due to Lockwood & Co. being a special effects-heavy show, it most likely was expensive to make. This means Netflix was probably looking for the show to pull in a significant number of viewers in order for them to justify making another season. While a lot of people did tune in and watch the first season, it most likely wasn’t a high enough number for Netflix. This is our guess on why the show was canceled. Netflix never gave the reason for the show’s cancellation.

Rebelde

Rebelde was a smash hit when its first season was released on Netflix in January 2022. In fact, the streaming giant renewed the Spanish teen drama series for a second season only a couple of days after the first season’s premiere. But when the second season dropped in July 2022, it didn’t reach the same success. It was reported in May 2023 that the streaming giant decided to let the teen drama go.

Although the reason for the cancelation was never revealed, it looks like it all came down to poor viewership for the second season. We thought we had at least one more season left of the musical series, but unfortunately, it was cut loose too soon.

Bling Empire & Bling Empire: New York

In April 2023, Netflix decided to let go of Bling Empire and its short-lived spinoff, Bling Empire: New York, shows focusing on the lives of wealthy Asian and Asian Americans in the United States.

We don’t have a reason for why but many people have speculated that the cancelations had something to do with the lawsuit/claims by Bling Empire star Kelly Mi Li towards Netflix. The spinoff series didn’t fare so well on Netflix too. So, Netflix had even more of a reason to axe both shows.

Freeridge

While not as good as On My Block, the spinoff series Freeridge still deserved more than one season. Unfortunately, it’s another Netflix show that wasn’t marketed well so not many people knew about its release.

Netflix made the decision to cancel the teen series in April 2023. It’s a show following a group of teen friends who work together to try to reverse a curse that’s only brought dark misfortune into their lives. The cast really meshed well, and I found myself constantly laughing throughout the first season. Sadly, we’ll never know if [spoiler] is really dead.

Juvenile Justice

Juvenile Justice is a Korean legal drama series following a tough judge as she tackles complex crime cases inside a juvenile court. The first season was released in February 2022, and it did okay for itself on Netflix.

A second season was in the works in the pre-production stage when Netflix decided to pull the plug in January 2023. Auditions were even being held for new cast members for the second season at the time, but the organizers of the auditions had to notify the applicants that production had been canceled.

Sadly, we don’t know the exact reason why the show was axed because Netflix didn’t reveal this information. However, Juvenile Justice will always be a show that I hold dear to my heart.

What Netflix cancellations in 2023 were you upset about? Let us know!