Netflix Shows Canceled in 2023: 'Shadow and Bone,' 'Sex/Life,' More
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Netflix has garnered a reputation for canceling a large number of its original series, a superlative that seems inevitable given its high content output compared to other streaming services. And while the stat has lessened since 2022, when 20 shows were canceled, there were still 14 on the chopping block in 2023.
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Five of the 14 shows Netflix canceled this year were animated, unsurprising given the shakeup and job cuts that came to the company’s animation department this fall. Three were live-action young adult titles, while another was a reality series with young adult contestants.
One of the biggest factors used to determine whether a series will be renewed — on any platform — is viewership. Netflix has released a weekly Top 10 chart since late 2021 to help people understand how their favorite titles are performing, but made some significant changes to its measurement and transparency tactics this year. The ranking used to be determined based on the number of hours each title was watched, but in June, Netflix adjusted its charts to rank based on “views,” calculated by dividing viewing hours by runtime. This way, a series wouldn’t gain a competitive edge by having a longer runtime alone. Additionally, in December, Netflix announced that it would begin releasing biannual engagement reports detailing how many hours each title on the service was viewed, beginning with a six-month period from January to June.
From “Shadow and Bone” to “Sex/Life,” these are the series Netflix canceled in 2023, along with data about their viewership when available.
Shadow and Bone
Premiered: April 23, 2021 (Season 1); March 16, 2023 (Season 2)
Canceled: Nov. 15, 2023
“Shadow and Bone” starred Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov, a beacon of hope to some and a suspected traitor to others, who is on the run, determined to bring down the Shadow Fold and save the nation of Ravka from ruin. Alina and Mal (Archie Renaux) must journey to find two mythical creatures to amplify Alina’s powers in order to stand a fighting chance against General Kirigan (Ben Barnes), who is backed by a terrifying new army of seemingly indestructible shadow monsters and fearsome new Grisha recruits and has returned to finish what he started.
Season 1 debuted before Netflix began releasing its weekly Top 10 charts, but Season 2 debuted in second place with 50.4 million hours watched and peaked in the same position with 55 million hours watched in its first full week of availability. It lasted on the chart for an impressive five weeks. According to the engagement report Netflix released earlier this month, between January and June of 2023, Season 2 was the No. 32 most-watched title on Netflix with 192.9 million hours viewed and Season 1 was No. 98 with 99.5 million hours viewed.
Glamorous
Premiered: June 22, 2023
Canceled: Nov. 15, 2023
“Glamorous” told the story of Marco Mejia (Miss Benny), a young gender non-conforming queer man whose life seems to be stuck in place until he lands a job working for legendary makeup mogul Madolyn Addison (Kim Cattrall). It’s Marco’s first chance to figure out what he wants out of life, who he actually is, and what it really means for him to be queer.
The series debuted on the Netflix Top 10 in eighth place with 2.3 million views in its first four days of availability, then rose to No. 4 with 3.5 million views before falling off of the chart. The Netflix engagement report counted 36.6 million hours of viewing for the show, but that would only include eight days of viewing as the report cut off at the end of June.
Agent Elvis
Premiered: March 17, 2023
Canceled: Nov. 15, 2023
In “Agent Elvis,” Elvis Presley (Matthew McConaughey) trades in his white jumpsuit for a jet pack when he is covertly inducted into a secret government spy program to help battle the dark forces that threaten the country he loves — all while holding down his day job as the king of rock and roll.
The series never made the Netflix Top 10, but was watched for a total of 5.5 million hours from from its release through the end of June.
Captain Fall
Premiered: July 28, 2023
Canceled: Nov. 15, 2023
“Captain Fall” followed its title character (Jason Ritter), an inexperienced yet good-hearted sea captain who unwittingly finds himself at the helm of a smuggling ship for a terrible international cartel who’s using him as a fall guy in case the authorities ever catch up to them.
The series never made the Netflix Top 10 and was released after the period measured by Netflix’s engagement report, so no viewership data is available.
Farzar
Premiered: July 15, 2022
Canceled: Nov. 15, 2023
“Farzar” was an animated sci-fi comedy that followed Prince Fichael (Dana Snyder) and his crew as they ventured out of their domed human city to fight the evil aliens that wanted to kill and/or eat them. As they began their journey, Fichael quickly discovered that all was not what it seemed and he may have been living a lie.
“Farzar” never performed well enough to make the Netflix Top 10, so there’s no available data about its viewership upon release, though Netflix’s 2023 engagement report says the series was watched for 5.2 million hours between January and June of 2023.
Wellmania
Premiered: March 29, 2023
Canceled: Oct. 31, 2023
“Wellmania” followed Liv (Celeste Barber), who is forced to rethink her “live fast, die young” attitude when she has a major health crisis. Throwing herself body-first into a wellness journey, she tries everything from the benign to the bizarre in an attempt to get well quick, and reclaim her old life.
The series spent two weeks on the Netflix Top 10 and took seventh place both times, peaking at 14.5 million hours watched. From its release through the end of June, it was watched for 41.3 million hours.
Snowflake Mountain
Premiered: June 22, 2022
Canceled: July 7, 2023
“Snowflake Mountain” was a reality series that put a group of clueless “kidults” who aren’t yet living to their full potential through a wilderness survival meant to show them how pampered they are and kickstart them into standing on their own two feet.
The series spent one week on the Netflix Top 10 in tenth place with 15 million hours viewed. From January to June of 2023, it was watched for 6.1 million hours.
Lockwood & Co.
Premiered: Jan. 27, 2023
Canceled: May 12, 2023
“Lockwood & Co.” starred Ruby Stokes as Lucy Carlyle, a teenage ghost hunter with a tragic past, who teams up with Anthony Lockwood (Cameron Chapman) and George Karim (Ali Hadji-Heshmati) to form a ghost-busting agency that specializes in dealing with deadly ghouls.
The series spent three weeks on the Netflix Top 10, peaking in first place with 39.4 million hours viewed, and was viewed for a total of 113.6 million hours between January and June.
Freeridge
Premiered: Feb. 2, 2023
Canceled: April 12, 2023
A spinoff of Netflix’s four-season teen dramedy “On My Block,” “Freeridge” was a coming of age comedy following sibling rivals Gloria (Keyla Monterroso Mejia) and Ines (Bryana Salaz) and their friends Demi (Ciara Riley Wilson) and Cameron (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) who have unleashed a curse, bringing dark misfortune into their lives.
The series only made the Netflix Top 10 once, appearing at No. 9 with 8.3 million hours watched, and was watched for a total of 23.1 million hours by the end of June.
Sex/Life
Premiered: June 25, 2021 (Season 1); March 2, 2023
Canceled: April 7, 2023
“Sex/Life” was inspired by the book “44 Chapters About 4 Men” by B.B. Easton and starred Sarah Shahi as Billie Connelly who, exhausted from taking care of her two kids and feeling nostalgic for the free-spirited life she lived in New York with her best friend Sasha (Margaret Odette) before marrying loving and reliable Cooper (Mike Vogel), starts journaling and fantasizing about her exploits with an ex (Adam Demos).
Season 1 spent seven weeks on the Netflix Top 10 and two in first place, peaking with 86.7 million hours watched. It returned to the chart for three weeks upon the release of Season 2, which charted for four weeks and peaked at No. 3 with 46.7 million hours watched. From January to June, Season 2 was the 34th most-watched title on Netflix with a total of 175.5 million viewing hours.
Dead End: Paranormal Park
Premiered: June 16, 2022 (Season 1); Oct. 31, 2022 (Season 2)
Canceled: Jan. 13, 2023
Based on Hamish Steele’s horror-comedy graphic novels “DeadEndia” and web short “Dead End,” “Dead End: Paranormal Park” followed the adventures of Barney (Zach Barack), Norma (Kody Kavitha) and magical-talking-dog Pugsley as they balance their summer jobs at the local theme park haunted house while battling the supernatural forces that dwell within it.
The series never made the Netflix Top 10. Between January and June of 2023, Season 1 was watched for 3.8 million hours and Season 2 was watched for 3.1 million hours.
Uncoupled
Premiered: July 29, 2022
Canceled: Jan. 13, 2023
“Uncoupled” starred Neil Patrick Harris as Michael Lawson, who thought his life was perfect until his partner blindsides him by walking out the door after 17 years. Overnight, Michael has to confront two nightmares — losing what he thought was his soulmate and suddenly finding himself a single gay man in his mid-forties in New York City.
The series only made the Netflix Top 10 for one week, landing in sixth place with 26.5 million hours watched. From January to June of 2023, it was watched for 7.6 million hours.
Showtime picked up “Uncoupled” after Netflix canceled it.
Inside Job
Premiered: Oct. 22, 2021 (Part 1); Nov. 18, 2022
Canceled: Jan. 9, 2023
“Inside Job” was set in the offices of Cognito Inc., an organization within the shadow government, and follows anti-social tech genius Reagan Ridley (Caplan) who, with her partner Brett Hand (Duke), works to uncover the infinite secrets of the world hidden in the shadows. Despite her optimism, Reagan faces constant hurdles on the way to her dream promotion including her unhinged, conspiracy-mongering father (Slater) and irresponsible coworkers.
Part 1 only made the Netflix Top 10 for one week, landing in ninth place with 21.2 million hours viewed, and Part 2 didn’t chart. From January to June of 2023, Part 1 was watched for 21.5 million hours and Part 2 was watched for 17.4 million hours.
1899
Premiered: Nov. 17, 2022
Canceled: Jan. 2, 2023
“1899” revolved around a migrant steamship heading from London to New York. When the passengers discover another migrant boat adrift, their journey takes an unexpected twist.
The series spent five weeks on the Netflix Top 10, peaking at No. 2 with 87.9 million hours watched. From January to June, it racked up 51.8 million viewing hours.
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