You and 5 more Netflix shows that shouldn’t have been renewed in 2023

Netflix Lifers, the year is almost over! We’re quickly approaching the end of 2023, and now is the time to look back at what a year it’s been for Netflix. There have been many show renewals throughout 2023, but we also saw many Netflix shows get the boot.

Some of the canceled Netflix originals of 2023 include 1899, Shadow and Bone, Inside Job, Welcome to Eden, Lockwood & Co. and Rebelde. But many of them we weren’t surprised to see get axed this year. Unfortunately, they just didn’t pull in enough viewers to justify additional seasons.

But it wasn’t all bad for Netflix. As mentioned above, we saw many renewals like Wednesday season 2, The Recruit season 2, The Night Agent season 2, Outer Banks season 4, Ginny and Georgia seasons 3 and 4, and One Piece season 2.

While we were happy to see many of our favorite Netflix shows receive renewal announcements, there are some other shows we believe should’ve ended this year instead of getting renewed. We shared the names of those shows below.

Note: Remember, these are only my opinions. You might disagree with me, and that’s okay.

You

I was a huge fan of You when it aired its first season on Lifetime in 2018, and saddened when the TV network decided to cancel it after only one season. Luckily, Netflix decided to pick it up, and the show continued to be great for another two seasons.

It was interesting watching Penn Badgley play an obsessive serial killer. This was a completely different role from his “nice guy” role in Gossip Girl, so I just had to check it out and see if it was any good. Well, it was an amazing show until the fourth season. I’m sorry, but You season 4 was incredibly boring.

Let’s first start with the plot. The fourth season revolved around Joe hanging around a wealthy friend group, trying to figure out who’s killing people in the group. I wasn’t interested one bit. Also, Joe’s new love interest this season wasn’t interesting either. They lacked chemistry in my opinion,  which made it hard for me to watch their intimate/love scenes. Honestly, there’s more I could say about why I didn’t like the fourth season, but I think you get the idea.

We’re not going to spoil the season 4 finale just in case you haven’t watched it yet, but the season ends in a way that could’ve ended the thriller series right there. However, Netflix decided to renew the show for a fifth and final season instead. Honestly, it’s going to be interesting to see where the writers take the story and how they’ll wrap it up in season 5. But I hope the final season doesn’t ruin the series for me altogether.

Sweet Magnolias

Another great show that took a nosedive when it comes to quality is Sweet Magnolias. Hear me out, please. The first two seasons were great. The drama was there, and the different romantic pairings were exciting to watch. But Sweet Magnolias season 3 was a huge letdown in my opinion.

It seemed like the story just dragged on and on and on. It was slow-moving, and I was bored by the third episode. Honestly, every episode in the third season seemed like a filler, and nothing really important happened. And to sum it up, the season ends in a way that could’ve easily closed up the series, but Netflix decided to give this show another go and renew it for a fourth installment.

Kudos to the fans who have decided to stay the course and continue watching until the end. They’re the REAL fans. But I’ve officially taken my exit.

That ‘90s Show

I didn’t have high hopes for That ’90s Show to be good, so I wasn’t surprised at all that I didn’t like it. All it took was one look at the trailer for the first season, and I immediately lost interest. The original series, That ’70s Show, was an amazing show, but its sequel didn’t even come close to its level.

Honestly, the best part about the first season was the cameos from the That ’70s Show cast. Everything else was just bad. It wasn’t really funny. In fact, I thought most of the show was corny. The acting wasn’t that great either.

Overall, this series reminds me of a Disney Channel teen show, which is not at all how the original series was. I’m honestly surprised that so many people like this show. Hopefully, it’ll step up its game and be more entertaining in its upcoming second season. I won’t be there to find out though.

FUBAR

I really tried to give FUBAR a chance for Arnold Schwarzenegger. I mean, he’s literally known as one of Hollywood’s best action stars. But this action-comedy series was such a drag. The writing and acting were below average, and I barely laughed at all throughout the first season. I’d also argue that there wasn’t enough action too. How is this show even billed as an action-comedy? I seriously want to know the answer.

Also, I hate to say it but Arnold’s acting wasn’t that great either. But I think he did his best with what he had to work with, which was a cringe-worthy script. To all the people who will be watching FUBAR season 2, I hope you enjoy it, but I won’t be joining you all.

Elite

Elite should’ve ended a long time ago. That’s truly how I feel, and I’m sticking to it. It started off as a gripping murder mystery but quickly turned into a show with no plot, just tons of sex scenes. I will say that Elite has always been a very sexualized show, but it’s gotten worse over the seasons. How it has reached eight seasons is truly mind-boggling to me. Seasons 1 through 3 were great, but all the seasons after that were just bad.

The upcoming eighth season will be the last because Netflix has officially pulled the plug on the Spanish teen series. If they bring back all or some of the original characters, I’ll tune in and watch the new season. Mina El Hammani (Nadia) is confirmed to return in season 8, and rumor has it there’s a possibility Danna Paola (Lu) might also be coming back. We shall see…

Too Hot to Handle

Too Hot to Handle is one of Netflix’s reality shows that I just don’t understand the hype around. It’s seriously a cringe-fest that’s so obviously scripted. I’ll be honest here. I watch a lot of reality TV because those types of shows provide the best entertainment. But it’s incredibly hard to watch Too Hot to Handle.

The plot is basically about a bunch of lustful singles who have the chance to win a hefty grand prize if they abstain from having sex during the competition period. Truthfully, I’m still so surprised that someone seriously came up with a show like this. But apparently, I’m an outlier because it’s one of the top reality shows on Netflix and was recently renewed for a sixth season in August 2023. I won’t be tuning in, but I hope the fans have fun!

What Netflix shows do you think shouldn’t have been renewed in 2023?