Netflix‘s pattern of canceling shows in a particular genre is ironic given the series that’s trending on the platform right now. In 2011, Netflix started producing its own original series. Since then, the streaming service has developed hundreds of TV shows across a myriad of genres. Some have lasted several seasons and had long, successful runs, but others weren’t so lucky. Over the years, Netflix has canceled many of its original series before they had a chance to find their footing or audience. The lives of many Netflix shows were cut short before they could flourish, but one genre in particular has been disproportionately affected.
Historically, supernatural teen shows have not had a long shelf life on Netflix. Despite boasting success stories in the genre, like Wednesday and Fate: The Winx Saga, Netflix has canceled a ton of its supernatural teen shows after just one or two seasons. Some examples include Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-2020), The Society (2019), The Order (2019-2020), Warrior Nun (2020-2022), First Kill (2022), The Midnight Club (2022), and Lockwood & Co. (2023). It’s ironic, though, that Netflix has canceled so many of its own supernatural teen shows, considering a series from that genre is popular on the platform right now.
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Paramount+’s School Spirits Is Trending On Netflix After The Service Canceled Many Of Its Own Supernatural Shows
School Spirits
- Genres
- Drama , Mystery , Supernatural
In the Paramount+ series School Spirits, a teenage girl finds herself stuck in afterlife purgatory at her high school after mysteriously disappearing. The show follows her and her friends, both living and dead, as they try to solve the mystery of her death. School Spirits was renewed for season 2 by Paramount+ after a successful first season and cliffhanger finale, teasing a promising future.
On November 30, 2023, School Spirits started streaming on Netflix, and it didn’t take long for the series to start trending and break into the TV top 10. Based on its history, Netflix seems to think there’s not enough interest in supernatural teen shows to justify keeping them. However, School Spirits‘ immediate success on the platform proves otherwise. Clearly, Netflix viewers are fans of this genre, so canceling its own supernatural series may be counterproductive for the platform.
Why Netflix Cancels So Many Teen Supernatural Shows
It’s disappointing that Netflix has made a habit of canceling so many supernatural teen shows, especially since there’s clearly an appetite for them. Sometimes these cancellations are for valid reasons that can’t be helped. For instance, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which ran from 2018 to 2020, was canceled in July 2020 after two seasons, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Society suffered the same fate during the same year. After the success of its first season in 2019, The Society was initially renewed for a second season, but it was canceled due to the pandemic.
Other supernatural teen shows with seemingly bright futures were also gutted by Netflix for no explicit reason. Popular series like The Order and Warrior Nun ran for two seasons before they were canceled by the streamer despite fans’ resistance. Mike Flanagan’s The Midnight Club was intended to be a two-season limited series, but it was cut short two months after its first season released in October 2022. More recent series like First Kill and Lockwood & Co. also ran for one season before getting the ax from Netflix. Perhaps Netflix feels that the genre is too niche to always guarantee success, but School Spirits’ popularity suggests otherwise.
