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Earlier this week, Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, the creators behind Netflix’s cult smash Dark, hit Instagram with sad news: Their new series, 1899, would not be renewed for a second season, despite debuting at the end of 2022 to positive reviews and a place on the streamer’s top 10 list. “We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a 2nd and 3rd season as we did with Dark,” the pair wrote. “But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned.”
The streaming business is funny because plans can be hilarious. Like obscure shows Squid Game Can find the right audience, be cultural juggernauts and get further seasons. Other examples include Warrior NunYou can find some rabid supporters, but not enough to keep you alive. The possibility that any show can survive is increasing as the streaming ecosystem expands. Squid Game itself—and the thrum of “red light,” “green light” leaves everyone on their toes.
Netflix has seen a lot of changes in recent months: loss of subscribers, new ad-supported pricing tiers. Many wondered what was happening to Netflix’s shows after it canceled several of its most popular series. Many suggested this. 1899’s demise came because its “completion rate”—a percentage of how many viewers actually finish watching a show—was reportedly below 50 percent. Other viewers pointed out how expensive the show was. Some suggested it just got lost in the shuffle.
The fact is that, as Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos once put it, “it’s 70 percent gut and 30 percent data.” There is no one metric that decides what the streamer does or doesn’t kill. Netflix has to focus on its bottom line now more than ever—and costly shows that don’t become big hits are risky. It is not wise to cut off a show that hasn’t found a loyal following. At a time when the streaming giant needs to hold on to subscribers, pundits will tell you that becoming a graveyard of forgotten, unfinished programming isn’t the best way to ingratiate a loyal fanbase.
Honestly, this explanation doesn’t entirely ring true. Shows are canceled all the time, and people who get excited about TV—especially genre TV—go in knowing there’s a possibility that the thing they love may never come to its creators’ hoped-for conclusion, that it could be literally endless. Sometimes, those gone-too-soon shows—Firefly, The OA—gain more cult status because of their cancelations.
This could be the case. 1899? Oder even Warrior Nun? Eh, maybe. But perhaps that’s not the point. Netflix was once the place where weirder, more obscure shows were given space—and time—to thrive. However, the. 1899 Cancellation shows that, just like other streaming companies, the company is in a position to be much the same as those that have come before it. When cable—particularly original programming on cable—came along, major networks suddenly had much less captive audiences. This is where streaming has reached an inflection point. Netflix and other streaming services are uncovering hidden gems that people can discover later. The bad news? Companies may not want those shows to be kept around.
