Why 'The Amazing Digital Circus' Won't Be on Netflix
The pilot episode of 'The Amazing Digital Circus' has racked up more than 75 million views in less than a month.
The Amazing Digital Circus will not be available to stream on Netflix anytime soon. With just a single episode released, the 3D-animated web series is a bonafide hit, the pilot episode not only gaining 79 million views in a period of just three weeks, but also spawning merch, fan art, memes, and a TikTok hashtag (#theamazingdigitalcircus) that has reached more than 1.7 billion views. Despite the show's early success, though, fans shouldn't expect to see The Amazing Digital Circus heading to a streaming platform.
Speaking about the show's success and future with Cartoon Brew, Jasmine Yang, Glitch general manager and development producer, addressed the possibility of The Amazing Digital Circus moving from its current home at YouTube to a streamer such as Netflix. While the show's success makes it a shoo-in for a major streaming platform, Yang confirmed that there are currently no plans to move the series off YouTube due to the platform's creative freedoms and all it has to offer to indie producers and distributors.
We are truly TRULY so thankful to you all for enjoying this whacky lil show.
— GLITCH (@glitch_prod) October 14, 2023
Huge appreciation and thanks to @GooseworxMusic for her incredible vision on this show. Her direction on all aspects of Digital Circus really elevated and gave the show the soul & personality it has!💖🎪 pic.twitter.com/WMYWRzE8Qj
"We are a YouTube-first company. We believe very strongly in the future and potential of YouTube for long-form animation," Yang said. "A lot of this stems from what we've seen in the trends from streaming services, particularly towards animation. I don't need to go into details about the recent wave of cancellations or the general disrespect towards animation from the mainstream, but we believe that YouTube is the best way forward."
Although the studio has met with streamers over the years, Yang said the terms offered have ultimately kept The Amazing Digital Circus from hitting a streamer. Yang explained, "control of the brand is essential to us. Having control of merchandise, marketing, and licensing under us, who work directly with the showrunner, lets us translate the artists' visions more accurately."
Debuting on the Glitch YouTube channel on Oct. 13, The Amazing Digital Circus is a dark comedy created by Gooseworx and produced by Glitch Productions. The series centers around the character Pomni, who becomes stuck in a circus-themed virtual world with five other strangers, all unable to recall their names and details of their pasts. The group finds themselves at the mercy of an artificial intelligence (A.I.) that takes the form of an eccentric "ringmaster" named Caine.
According to Yang, The Amazing Digital Circus got its start years ago when Glitch reached out with wanting to make a pilot with her. Gooseworx initially pitched three ideas, but it was one idea in particular that stood out to Yang due to "a 1990s computer render art style and little references to the toys and computer games we had growing up."
Currently, only a single episode of The Amazing Digital Circus is available to watch on YouTube. Yang told Cartoon Brew that at this time, a decision has not been made on the show's future.