Just two days into the new year, Netflix’s streaming library suffered a major blow Monday when 1899 was canceled after just a single season. The mystery sci-fi drama, created Jantjee Friese and Baran bo Odar, the pair behind the hit German-language original Dark, spent several weeks in the streaming Top 10 and generated plenty of buzz online as viewers attempted to figure out the numerous mysteries plaguing the passengers aboard the Kerberos. Now, a fan-created Change.org petition is racking up thousands of signatures as fans call for 1899 to be saved.
Created just after news broke that 1899 would not receive a Season 2 renewal, the petition, titled, “Renew 1899 on Netflix,” has garnered more than 20,000 signatures in less than 20 hours. Noting that the hit series was “clearly created with multiple seasons in mind” and that “after the first season, there are a lot of unanswered questions and a big cliffhanger at the end of the last episode,” the petition demands, “we want a renewal of the show and a proper end to the story.” The petition currently has a goal of 25,000 signatures.
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Many signees have also expressed their anger and confusion over Netflix’s decision not to move forward with the series, one viewer writing, “Utterly mind-boggling to cancel a show from the writers of Dark. Have some faith.” Another person commented, “I’m tired of streaming services getting me invested in a show only to never complete the story.” Somebody else wrote, “Netflix knew these creators had a three-season plan and are well aware of Dark‘s success…Also, adding to the fact this show was in the top 10 in over 60 countries and generated millions of hours viewed. What does it take to prevent cancelation in this age of Netflix?”
News of 1899‘s cancellation was first confirmed by Odar in a letter to fans shared to Instagram. In that letter, Odar hinted that there was a multi-season plan for the series, writing, “We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a second and third season as we did with Dark. But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned. That’s life.” At this time, Netflix has not provided a reason for the cancellation.
Debuting on Nov. 17, 2022, 1899 followed a group of European emigrants traveling from the U.K. to New York City on a steamship, but their journey is plagued with a series of mysterious events. The series was an instant hit, reaching No. 2 on Netflix’s top 10 chart in its first week of availability and earning about 79.27 million hours of viewership in its first four days. The series starred Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann, Miguel Bernardeau, Mathilde Aollivier, Jonas Bloquet, Rosalie Craig, and Maciej Musial.
