Netflix Cancels Show, Called out for Terrible Marketing and Promotion

By Michael Hein

Netflix has reportedly canceled its acclaimed fantasy series The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, and fans have some very specific complaints. As Netflix original series cancellations become more common, heartbroken fans are thinking more deeply about why as they share their frustration on social media. This time around, many believe that Netflix should have invested more in marketing and promoting the series.

The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself is an adaptation of Sally Green's novel Half Bad, created for TV by Joe Barton and premiering in October. Barton himself announced the cancellation on Friday afternoon, tweeting: "Very proud of it and really liked the people I got to make it with. Sorry not to be able to finish the story..."

Fans were as disappointed as Barton himself to hear about the cancellation, especially since the show got generally positive reviews. Although Netflix does not publish its ratings and data, many fans assumed that this show was canceled because of low viewership. They felt that this was not fair, arguing that Netflix had hardly promoted the show and had not given it time to find its audience organically before deciding to drop it. The trailer for the show dropped on Oct. 13, while the show itself premiered on Oct. 28 to little fanfare outside of established readers. The cancellation was considered official on Friday with Barton's tweet.

Barton's mention of wanting to "finish the story" likely referred to the rest of Green's novels. Half Bad is the first in a trilogy of books, followed by Half Wild and then Half Lost. She also wrote a companion story called Half Lies. It's not clear who holds the rights to these stories now, nor whether they could still be adapted. Here's a look at what fans are saying about the cancellation of The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself.

Shocked

Because the show ended so confidently, many fans had simply assumed that another season was all but certain. They were shocked to hear that it wasn't true.

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Whiplash

Some fans had not even heard of this adaptation until the show was canceled, giving them a sense of whiplash. They wondered how Netflix expected this model to work.

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Outside Reliance

Some fans shared where they had heard about this show – not from Netflix itself in most cases, but on social media. They felt that it was unfair of Netflix to essentially rely on fans and other services to promote their work for them.

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Reviews

Many fans pointed out the show's generally positive reviews – especially the high scores on aggregate sites and the outstanding reviews from some critics. They felt that if the quality of the show was good, then it was a failure on Netflix's part of fans had not found their way to the series.

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Sympathy for Creators

Many fans shared their sincere sympathy with writers, actors and creators like the team that worked on The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. They imagined how heartbreaking it must be to get such a swift cancellation with apparently little thought.

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Lack of Interest

On the other end of the spectrum, fans noted that it was hard to get interested in a Netflix production nowadays knowing that there is a high chance of a sudden cancellation like this one. They felt that the streamer needed to be more invested in shows in order to attract an audience.

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Bias

Finally, some fans perceived a pattern when it comes to Netflix's cancellations – specifically shows with strong LGBTQ+ representation. They felt that it was a bad look for the streamer as this pattern continued.

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