The decision was made one week after the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike and a month and a half after the end of the WGA work stoppage, as networks and platforms continue to evaluate the impact of the seven-month production shutdown caused by the strike.
While a lot of series were canceled and not renewed by linear networks and streamers during and immediately after the strikes, Netflix has largely refrained from making cancellation decisions over the past 6½ months, while announcing a number of renewals, including One Piece (2023 ) (season two), Ginny & Georgia (season three and season four), The Lincoln Lawyer (season three), XO, Kitty (season two), Heartstopper (season two and season three), The Night Agent (season two recorded at the eve of the WGA strike), The Diplomat (US) (season two), Fubar (season two), Sweet Magnolias (season four) and Castlevania: Nocturne (season two).
As usual, series performance versus cost played a major role in Netflix's decisions. In the case of Shadow and Bone, Glamorous, Agent Elvis, Farzar and Captain Fall, there were also additional factors.
Writing and filming delays caused by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes have thrown a wrench into network and streamer schedules, causing series to miss their scheduled launches and creating a pipeline holdup for late 2024 and 2025 The halt in production also leaves large gaps between seasons, with newcomers starting season two being the most vulnerable if they haven't yet had breakthroughs like The Night Agent and One Piece (2023). All of the recently canceled series, except Shadow and Bone, only ran for one season.
Furthermore, the strikes coincide with a period of increased financial scrutiny at most media companies, which have adjusted their linear and streaming strategies. More cancellation decisions are likely to be made in the coming weeks as networks continue to examine their schedules following the strikes.
Netflix is going through a transition period in adult animation. The department's new leadership, which was put in place late last year when Billy Wee was appointed director of Adult Animation, is beginning to make its mark on the development lineup as Netflix continues to invest in the genre, which has spawned hits such as BoJack Horseman, Big Mouth (2022), F is for Family and Disenchantment. Agent Elvis, Farzar and Captain Fall were all developed and greenlit by the previous adult animation regime.
The cancellation of Captain Fall comes in the middle of the first season. The animated series had a first season of twenty episodes that would be broadcast in two parts. The decision not to continue comes after the first half, which was released in July, failed to attract a large audience.
Shadow and Bone is the most talked about series and the only second series in the group. Inspired by Leigh Bardugo's bestselling Grishaverse novels, the series has a devoted fan following and is a major title for Netflix, which has also spawned a video game franchise for the streamer.
However, season two of the big fantasy drama, which started in March, did not have the same impact as the first season. The series spent five weeks in the weekly Top 10 for English-language series without reaching number 1. That, combined with the possible postponement of season three, likely played a role in the decision not to move forward.
The growing list of television series canceled during or after the strikes includes ABC's The Rookie: Feds and Home Economics, Fox's Welcome to Flatch, Freeform's Praise Petey, Paramount+'s Rabbit Hole, Fatal Attraction and Joe Pickett, MGM+'s Chapelwaite, Prime Video's The Peripheral and A League Of Their Own, HBO's The Idol and Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, Apple TV+'s The Afterparty, City on Fire, Suspicion (2022) and High Desert, Starz's Heels, Run the World, Blindspotting, Ava DuVernay romantic drama series and The Venery of Samantha Bird and Showtime's Gattaca, Seasoned and I Love That for You.
From creator, writer and executive producer Eric Heisserer, Shadow and Bone is set in a war-torn world where humble soldier and orphan Alina Starkov has just unleashed an extraordinary power that could be the key to her country's liberation. Jessie Mei Li stars as Alina Starkov, along with Archi Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young and Ben Barnes.
Glamorous, originally a pilot for the CW, was released on Netflix in July. It is created and produced by Jordan Nardino, with executive producers Damon Wayans Jr. and Kameron Tarlow. CBS Studios is the studio. The series tells the story of Marco Mejia (Miss Benny), a young gender non-conforming queer man whose life seems stuck until he gets a job working for legendary makeup mogul Madolyn Addison (Kim Cattrall).
Matthew McConaughey is the voice of Elvis Presley in Agent Elvis, released in March. He also produces the Priscilla Presley and John Eddie series alongside Sony Pictures Animation, Authentic Brands Group and Titmouse. In Agent Elvis, Elvis Presley trades his jumpsuit for a jetpack when he is secretly enlisted into a secret government spy program to battle the dark forces that threaten the country he loves - all while leaving his job as King of Rock 'n Roll retains.
Debuting in July 2022, Farzar is a sci-fi comedy that follows Prince Fichael and his crew as they venture outside their human-domed city to battle the evil aliens who want to kill and/or eat them. It comes from Paradise PD creators and executive producers Roger Black and Waco O'Guin, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment and Bento Box Entertainment.
Captain Fall comes from Norsemen creators Jon Iver Helgaker and Jonas Torgersen with a voice cast led by Jason Ritter, Christopher Meloni, Lesley-Ann Brandt and Anthony Carrigan. The comedy follows a wet-behind-the-ears but kind-hearted sea captain who unwittingly finds himself at the helm of a smuggling ship for a terrible international cartel that uses him as a scapegoat in case the authorities ever catch them.
