6 Netflix Shows in Danger of Cancellation

Netflix releases dozens of new original series every month as part of its continued push to bring subscribers more content exclusive to the streamer, but that doesn’t mean all of Netflix’s titles are safe. While the streamer has already handed out renewals for shows including its Jenna Ortega-starring Adams Family spinoff Wednesday and You, which was renewed for a fifth and final season, a dozen others have already been canceled, and even more remain on the chopping block.

Over the past few years, Netflix has proven that it is not afraid to cancel fan-favorite series after just a season or two, stoking fears that some yet-to-be-renewed series could soon get the ax. From popular book adaptations to series with some high-profile names attached, there are a number of shows that remain in limbo. Keep scrolling to see some of the Netflix shows at risk of cancellation.

‘Shadow and Bone’ (Season 3)

Fans of Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse novels were ecstatic when it was confirmed that a series adaptation was coming to Netflix, and excitement surged when, following the Season 1 debut in April 2021, Netflix greenlit Shadow and Bone Season 2. But more than a month after Season 2 dropped, Shadow and Bone‘s fate remains uncertain, and there has been growing concern that the show will ultimately be canceled. Fear over the show’s future largely has to do with its viewership numbers. While Season 2 enjoyed 50.4 million hours of viewers during its opening “weekend,” a number that rose to 55 million during its first full week of streaming, those numbers dropped to just 27 million hours viewed in the show’s third week of streaming. That massive drop in viewers could potentially be enough to steer Netflix towards a cancellation decision. However, the streamer is said to be working on a Six of Crows spinoff, signaling that Netflix still has interest in the Grishaverse.

‘Russian Doll’ (Season 3)

Netflix’s Emmy-winning, Natasha Lyonne-starring, time-looping comedy Russian Doll has been a massive hit, but a year since Season 2 premiered, there has been no word on whether or not Russian Doll will return for Season 3. But Netflix’s silence isn’t necessarily a bad sign. In fact, three years passed between the debut of Russian Doll Season 1 in February 2019 and Season 2 in April 2022, and there have been plenty of indications that there is interest in a third season.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this year, Lyonne was asked about the possibility of the show returning, teasing, “I’ve got to write it. I’ve got to clone myself. I don’t know if the science is there. I got a lot of projects.” So, with the three-year gap between Season 1 and Season 2 and given the fact that Lyonne has several other projects in the works, it’s possible that a third season of Russian Doll will happen, but there might be a bit of a wait for new episodes.

‘Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings (Season 2)’

She may be the most honored female country performer of all time and also a national icon, but it seems even Dolly Parton may not be safe from Netflix’s rapid-fire cancellations. The country crooner’s Netflix show Dolly Parton’s Heartstrings premiered back in November 2019, but more than two years later, Netflix has yet to comment at all on the show’s future. However, it seems the anthology drama, which showcases the stories, memories, and inspirations behind the singer’s most beloved songs, is unlikely to return for a second season, as Patrick Sean Smith, the series’ showrunner, is currently working on fellow Netflix original series Virgin River.

‘Murderville’ (Season 2)

Although there has been no official word on whether or not Murderville will return for a second season, there has been at least some indication that Netflix is interested in continuing the show. The streamer ordered and premiered a Christmas special of Murderville that featured guest stars Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph. The hit series stars Will Arnett as Detective Terry Seattle, who along with his guest celebrity partner must improvise their way through a murder investigation without a script. The series debuted in February 2022, meaning it has been just over a year without news on a second season.

‘Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities’ (Season 2)

Fans of the macabre and horror were in for a treat in October 2022 when Netflix debuted Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities. An anthology series that offered a “spine-tingling horror collection” of unique horror stories that challenge the classical horror genre, the series received plenty of hype in the lead-up to its premiere and earned rave reviews from ciritcs and audience members – the series currently has a 83% critics score and 72% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. But even with those rave reviews and stellar ratings, the show’s fate remains in limbo. One of the biggest obstacles seems to be the fact that del Toro is currently working on multiple other Netflix projects, which may impact the status of Cabinet of Curiosities or, at the very least, delay a second season. Del Toro has expressed a desire in a second season, in November even dishing on which directors he’d like to bring on board if the series were to renewed.

‘Black Summer’ (Season 3)

Black Summer fans have been waiting since June 2021 for news on the fate of their favorite show, but unfortunately, Netflix hasn’t yet been willing to make a concrete decision, at least not publicly. The post-apocalyptic series is a spinoff of former Syfy series Z Nation and was created by Karl Schaefer and John Hyams. The show’s second season was a big one, not only earning a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes, but also topping Netflix’s Top 10 list at the time of its release, with series star Jaime King even sharing in an interview with Express shortly after Season 2’s debut that she was “excited to get the writer’s room going again” and Black Summer is the kind of series that could go on forever, but I think it would be really powerful to do it in just three seasons, if possible.” However, after more than two years of silence, it seems that Black Summer has likely fallen to the wayside and is unlikely to return for a third season.