Netflix cancelations are always tough to cover and in 2021, there has been quite a few of them. Below, we’ll take you through every major Netflix Original cancelation which includes the recently canceled Cowboy Bebop, Zero, Zero Chill, Dash & Lily and the Israeli series, Hit & Run.
If you want to see all the big cancelations up until 2021, we’ve got a cancelation bible that recounts the majority of Netflix cancelations between 2013 and 2020.
An important distinction we’re going to make below is when shows are canceled and just left unconcluded and others that are renewed for final seasons that allow them to be given endings of some description. While you may quibble over the result being the same, we’re going to categorize them separately anyway.
We’ve also got to consider Netflix’s ghost cancelations too. We’ve documented them in the past where the show simply falls off the radar with no announcement as to its future. Shows in this category include Letter for the King season 2, The Innocents season 2, and countless others.
Full List of Canceled Netflix Shows of 2021
Cowboy Bebop
Number of days in the US Top 10: 19 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 14 days
Netflix has a somewhat shaky reputation when it comes to adapting anime into live-action adaptations and sadly, Cowboy Bebop didn’t do enough to shake that reputation.
Just three weeks after the series debuted on Netflix, the plug was pulled.
Thanks to Netflix released viewing figures, we can paint a pretty good picture as to why Netflix pulled the plug, the show just wasn’t connecting to a large audience. In fact, figures suggest the show lost 60% of viewing time between weeks 2 and 3.
Zero Chill
Number of days in the US Top 10: 5 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 2 days
Created by Kirstie Falkous and John Regier, Zero Chill would turn out to be short-lived after failing to make enough of an impact to get renewed for a second season.
Dash & Lily
Number of days in the US Top 10: 7 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 7 days
Produced by Shawn Levy, this is his second major cancelation at Netflix after I’m Not Okay With This. The holiday series adapts the book of the same name and definitely geared itself up for a second season but sadly, it’s not to be.
Was this a COVID casualty? After all, we got word that a second season was being actively developed but after a concerning update over the summer, Netflix officially pulled the plug in October 2021 meaning we won’t be getting a new season of Dash & Lily.
Zero
Number of days in the Italian Top 10: 18 days
The Italian superhero series was sadly canned after a single season despite relatively positive reviews from the region where it came. With that said, it failed to crack 30 days in the Italian TV top 10s.
Hit & Run
Number of days in the US Top 10: 14 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 18 days
The big new show from the creators of Fauda arrived on Netflix over the summer and was soon canceled after release but there is good news, the creators have signed an overall deal with Netflix meaning there’s more to come, it just won’t be Hit & Run.
Grand Army
Number of days in the US Top 10: 21 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 0 days
Debuting on Netflix back in October 2020, this teen drama series was about five students at a large public high school in Brooklyn and its students fighting to succeed.
The series was eventually given the axe in mid-June 2021
Cursed
Number of days in the US Top 10: 20 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 22 days
Although we suspect it’s been canceled for quite some time (we posted in April 2021 that props were being sold off) Cursed didn’t officially get the nudge until July 2021.
Although reviews were particularly mixed when the show first came out, it did grow a dedicated fanbase but sadly that wasn’t enough to justify bringing back Katherine Langford for a second season.
Emily’s Wonder Lab
Number of days in the US Top 10: 0 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 0 days
Sadly we learned exclusively that Emily’s Wonder Lab hosted by MIT engineer Emily Calandrelli will not be coming back for a second season.
The live-action educational kids series first aired back in August 2020.
Bonding
Number of days in the US Top 10: 0 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 0 days
The first season of Bonding struck gold and was soon renewed for a second season. Season 2 on the other hand dropped on Netflix with almost 0 fanfare which led to the show being canned in mid-2021.
Although the writer is working with Netflix on future projects, it’s a shame this show went out with a bit of a fizzle.
The Crew
Number of days in the US Top 10: 10 days
Continuing the live-action multi-cam sitcom troubles for Netflix is The Crew which will bow out after a single season. Some of the cast members had said the show was canceled before the official confirmation in early July 2021.
The show did seemingly perform a bit better in Austria and Germany, however.
Mr. Iglesias
Number of days in the US Top 10: 10 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 0 days
Mr. Iglesias is yet another sitcom with its life cut short on Netflix.
Three parts spread across two seasons did come to Netflix but its short-lived appearances in the top 10s seem to suggest the show’s audience was relatively small.
Country Comfort
Number of days in the US Top 10: 10 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 0 days
Arriving on Netflix in March 2021, it’s one and done for the sitcom series following an up and coming country singer accepting a job as a nanny.
You’ll notice a trend for the next few titles with how many days they spent in the top 10s.
Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
Number of days in the US Top 10: 11 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 4 days
We’ve documented how Netflix has been struggling in the multi-cam sitcom format for a while and Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! perhaps exemplifies the issues the format faces on Netflix.
The show was built around the talent of Jamie Foxx but beyond that, it struggles to know exactly what it is or who it’s aimed at.
#blackAF
Number of days in the US Top 10: 10 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 1 day
Although originally renewed for a full second season, Netflix reportedly reversed its decision in June 2021 but hasn’t ruled out the possibility of the show returning in a movie format in the future.
It comes as Kenya Barris slowly breaks away from his commitments from Netflix (although there are plenty of projects still to look forward to).
Grand Army
Number of days in the US Top 10: 21 days
Teen dramas usually go several rounds on Netflix but that wasn’t the case with Grand Army which was canceled 8 months after it first dropped.
There are also reports of behind-the-scenes turmoil for this show too with writers quitting the show “due to racist exploitation and abuse.”
Jupiter’s Legacy
Number of days in the US Top 10: 26 days
Number of days in the UK Top 10: 22 days
The big first entry for Millarworld on Netflix was cut short after a rather rocky first entry thanks to a myriad of problems. Although the cancelation of Jupiter’s Legacy wasn’t exactly announced as a cancelation, it won’t be returning for season 2.
There are lots of other Millarworld titles lined up for Netflix although it’s hard to argue against the fa
La Révolution
Number of days in US Top 10: 1 days
Number of days in France Top 10: 26 days
One of the biggest Netflix Original shows to come out of France is the period drama action series La Révolution which sadly didn’t do enough to warrant a second season.
Monarca
Number of days in US Top 10: 2 days
Number of days in Mexico Top 10: 27 days
The creators of this Mexican Spanish-language series took to Instagram to say that Netflix had opted not to renew Monarca for a third season and it seems that they weren’t officially informed of a cancelation but rather came to the conclusions themselves.
The Duchess
Number of days in US Top 10: 0
Number of days in UK Top 10: 12
The cancelation was revealed on a podcast where the lead for this British comedy revealed that The Duchess wouldn’t be returning for season 2 at Netflix.
Katherine Ryan did reveal, however roughly how many people did check out the show saying it had around 10 million viewers. We’re assuming this is the 2-minute metric.
The Irregulars
Number of days in US Top 10: 18 days
Number of days in UK Top 10: 27 days
After only one season, The Irregulars was shown the door at Netflix despite receiving generally strong reviews and was thought to be part of Netflix’s big push into the Sherlock Holmes universe.
The series is cited as beating out a hit Marvel show on the Nielsen top 10s in the US but even that wasn’t enough to keep it going.
The Idhun Chronicles
The creator of the Spanish anime series quietly told fans of The Idhun Chronicles on Twitter that the series would not be returning for future seasons.
