Netflix have been renewing an awful lot of their shows lately as they look to keep their seat on the streaming throne. After all, competition is fiercer than ever these days, and if they’re going to remain as the top dog, they need to be offering the best of the best when it comes to original content.
Indeed, the past few months have seen renewals handed down for Ozark, The Last Kingdom and, reportedly, Outer Banks, among others. But another series that was rumored to have scored a renewal was I Am Not Okay With This, which was a modest hit for the network and managed to build up a decent sized fanbase thanks to a fairly strong first season.
The news was met with joy by many, but in a somewhat surprising turn of events, we’re hearing that not only has Netflix not renewed it, but they’ve actually outright cancelled I Am Not Okay With This. Furthermore, they’ve also pulled the plug on The Society, which had already been renewed last summer.
As Deadline explains:
Netflix has reversed its Season 2 renewal decision for The Society. The YA drama, whose production was impacted by COVID-19, has been canceled and won’t film a second season. Additionally, Netflix has opted not to proceed with a second season of another coming-of-age series, I Am Not Okay With This.
As for the reason? Well, apparently it comes down to “uncertainty around production dates,” not to mention the “availabilities of a large cast like The Society, coupled with unexpected budget increases due to COVID.” Fair enough, but given that both shows were well received by fans and critics alike, this still comes as some rather surprising news.
“We’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with second seasons of The Society and I Am Not Okay With This,” Netflix said in a statement to Deadline. “We’re disappointed to have to make these decisions due to circumstances created by COVID, and we are grateful to these creators, including: Jonathan Entwistle, Christy Hall, Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Dan Cohen and Josh Barry at 21 Laps Entertainment for I Am Not Okay With This; Chris Keyser, Marc Webb and Pavlina Hatoupis for The Society; and all the writers, casts and crews who worked tirelessly to make these shows for our members around the world.”
Of course, these are far from the only shows to have received the axe in recent months. True, there’ve been a lot of renewals, but there’ve been a healthy amount of cancellations as well this year, with I Am Not Okay With This and The Society now joining the likes of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Lost in Space, Patriot Act, and V-Wars, among others.
It’s unfortunate, to be sure, but thankfully, Netflix have tons of other original series – and movies – to keep subscribers occupied and the coming months will only see them add even more to their collection, ensuring that they remain as the leader in the streaming wars.