Yahoo Lifestyle The Current TV Show Cancellation Model Is Broken — Here's Why It Desperately Needs To Be Fixed
If you've read any of my work on BuzzFeed, then chances are you're aware that I eat, sleep, and breathe TV. Whether it's popular must-watch shows like Succession and The Last of Us or more underrated ones like Wynonna Earp and A League of Their Own, I'm a fan of every genre, and I just love TV.
Lately, though, I've been a little down when it comes to starting new TV shows. Don't get me wrong; nothing will replace the rush I feel when I start hyper-fixating on a new show. I mean, I will throw myself into learning everything about the characters, the actors, the story, etc., but I've now hit a point where I don't see the point because there is a high likelihood that it might get canceled after just one season.
In 2023, the major streaming platforms — Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Max, Disney+, Paramount+, and Apple TV+ — canceled over 50 TV shows, with more than 20 of them being canceled after just one season.
During the 2023–2024 TV season, 36 TV series featuring LGBTQ characters were also officially canceled. According to GLAAD, "As for streaming, 80 characters (24 percent of all LGBTQ characters on streaming) on 23 shows won’t be returning due to series cancellations or endings. Half of these characters are on Netflix originals."
One-and-done TV shows are not new, but they seem to occur more frequently in the streaming era. My So-Called Life and Freaks and Geeks have been talked about for years as shows that were canceled way too soon, and they existed before streaming was even a thing.
ABC / Everett Collection, NBC / Getty Images
The Society, Julie and the Phantoms, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies, A League of Their Own, High Fidelity, Willow, Teenage Bounty Hunters... Those are just a few shows that I thought of off the top of my head that were canceled after one season in recent years. And there are so many more.
In recent years, fans have continuously called out the unfair cancellations of TV shows after just one season. They've started petitions to get shows renewed. They've cried out that it's not fair. And listen, I am standing right beside everyone shouting, "YES! GIVE A SHOW A CHANCE TO FIND ITS AUDIENCE!"
According to a YouGov Survey, as reported by GLAAD, "Over a quarter of viewers wait for the finale before watching a series, and will not watch if there is an unresolved ending." This means a typical streaming TV viewer might not watch a show weekly or even the first weekend it all drops.
Watching a Netflix show in the first week after it drops has often been pointed to as crucial for a series' renewal chances, but there is still so much known about Netflix's viewing metrics and what makes a show worthy of renewal.
For example, following the release of Season 2, Shadow and Bone was watched with over 1.14 billion viewing minutes, per Variety, in its first four days of streaming; however, that was still not enough, and the show was canceled after Season 2.
Recently, My Lady Jane and The Acolyte were canceled back to back. These are two brand-new shows with passionate fanbases who just want more of the show they love. These are two of just a handful of recent shows that have been canceled after just one season, adding fuel to the fire of TV viewers being upset and disheartened. Why should they put time and effort into a show that's likely not going to be renewed?!
Jonathan Prime / Prime Video, Christian Black / Disney+ / Lucasfilm Ltd.
It's also become such a sad cycle. Many people now won't watch a show because they fear it will be canceled after one season, but it's reportedly important to watch a show within the first few weeks, so then the shows get canceled because people aren't watching for fear of cancellation.
Listen, I'm not saying every show should stick around for more than one season. But, c'mon, give some of these shows at least a second season OR make it so they don't end on a cliffhanger in the Season 1 finale.
As soon as the news broke that both shows were not being renewed, conversations started online about what a show has to do to survive past Season 1 and why can't we let original and diverse stories have time to find their fanbases. Instead, they have 10 episodes (or less) to find as many fans as shows like Bridgerton, or else they are done for.
It’s a generally bleak time for television; not just because of The Acolyte. Everything gets cancelled. Nothing gets a chance to find its footing like before. Companies wonder why no one’s watching and it’s because no one wants to get invested in an inevitable unfinished story.
— Riley ⧗ ⊃∪∩⪽ 🍉 (@rileyanntoine) August 20, 2024
Twitter: @rileyanntoine / Via Twitter: @rileyanntoine
there's something so sad about falling in love with a show as good as my lady jane only for it to be unceremoniously canceled without even a chance to continue to shine.UGH. https://t.co/JXqIiAC5CG
— karis rogerson (@karisrogerson) August 17, 2024
Jonathan Prime / Prime Video / Via x.com
My Lady Jane dropped its full season on June 27, 2024, on Prime Video. The Acolyte wrapped its weekly rollout of Season 1 on July 16 on Disney+. That means My Lady Jane was given less than two months for people to find it and watch all eight episodes. The Acolyte had just a little over a month from the finale airing to its cancelation date.
It's my job to watch TV, so I often watch shows before or right as they premiere. However, the average TV lover has other things going on. They might not get to a show for a few months, and now they come to find out it's canceled, so why would they bother watching it at all?
Inherently, not every show is going to have the same massive fanbase as shows like Bridgerton or Stranger Things. Some should be allowed to exist in a little silo where the fans are passionate and will tune in week after week. I swear, we will love and support a network or streamer showing that these stories matter. The fanbases matter. We aren't giving people enough time to spread their love for a show via word of mouth.
Think about this. When I recommend Parks and Rec and Schitt's Creek to a friend who hasn't seen them, I often follow it up with the suggestion: "It gets even better AFTER Season 1." AFTER 👏 SEASON 👏 1.
Not every single show is phenomenal out of the gate. Some shows need time to grow and find their footing and even introduce new characters who become iconic.
If Fleabag was canceled after Season 1, we wouldn't have the Hot Priest. Danny DeVito's Frank from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia would never have existed if the show was canceled after Season 1, too.
You never know what gold is around the corner unless you give shows time to keep going.
Also, Season 1 cancellations have become even worse in the streaming era because, often, the first season only consists of 10 (or fewer) episodes. That is another reason that 22-episode seasons should make a comeback, IMO.
Give me filler episodes! Give me episodes that are just fun! Let writers get creative with storylines! GIVE IT ALL TO ME!
It's why two of my favorite shows right now are Abbott Elementary and Ghosts, and I think it's why Suits had such a moment last year. People like myself crave longer TV seasons. They want more, not less.
It's time we get back to shows not taking two-plus year breaks between seasons, too, but I could give an entire Ted Talk on that subject alone. All I'm saying is, in a world where there is so much TV to consume, why are we giving people such a short amount of time to discover their new favorite show? And WHY are we giving them only 10 episodes to spend with their beloved characters? I understand a lot of it comes down to financial situations, but it's a detriment to viewers who want to consume the content.
In this current TV model, I don't even know if some of my favorite TV shows of all time would exist. I don't know if One Tree Hill would've made it past Season 1. How I Met Your Mother might've ended on the cliffhanger of Lily leaving Marshall in the Season 1 finale.
I'm not sure some of the greatest TV shows of all time, like The Sopranos or Succession, would've been given a chance to be great.
I've said it before, and I will say it again. We are holding shows, especially diverse ones, to such a high (and often unattainable standard) that it is just alienating a very passionate TV fanbase that loves these types of stories and celebrates them. Even if they make it past Season 1, it likely won't last much longer after even that.
warrior nun being canceled is so disappointing. i hate that it's not surprising at this point too. LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and even female-led shows are seemingly held to a higher (and apparently unattainable) standard. this same audience should not have to live through this every 👏 time
— Nora Dominick (@noradominick) December 13, 2022
Nora Dominick / X / Via x.com
Basically, something needs to change. I would love to see shows like My Lady Jane and The Acolyte get at least a chance for a Season 2. I miss watching a show that is truly so special and not having the absolute fear I will have to fight for a second season.
Jonathan Prime / Prime Video, Disney+ / Lucasfilm Ltd.
