Netflix is known for its original series, and while many have been successful, some promising shows didn’t quite live up to expectations. Netflix offers a wide range of TV shows, including both licensed content and its own originals, with shows like Stranger Things and Mindhunter considered some of the best ever made.
Netflix is known for creating popular original shows, but not everything they’ve made has been a hit. Some shows, despite having promising ideas, strong foundations, or talented people involved, just didn’t quite take off as expected.
Girlboss
2017
Girlboss is a comedy series created by Kay Cannon, inspired by Sophia Amoruso’s 2014 autobiography of the same title. The show centers on Sophia Marlowe (played by Britt Robertson), a free-spirited young woman who launches a successful online vintage clothing business, Nasty Gal, after losing her job.
As much as I loved the idea behind Girlboss – a show about starting a business, finding yourself, and being a strong woman – it was sadly canceled after just one season. Honestly, while it had a lot of potential, when it actually came out, all the things that didn’t work really stood out more than the good stuff. It was a bit of a disappointment, you know?
The show Girlboss received criticism for its unsympathetic lead character, humor that didn’t land well and felt repetitive, and acting that didn’t quite shine. However, with a revised strategy and greater support from Netflix, it had the potential to be successful.
Hemlock Grove
2013-2015
Hemlock Grove is a horror television series adapted from Brian McGreevy’s 2012 novel. The show is set in the made-up town of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania, and focuses on the powerful Godfrey family, who control the town’s major employers – a now-closed steel mill, the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies, and Hemlock Acres Hospital.
Olivia Godfrey (Famke Janssen), who leads the Institute and is the widow of JR Godfrey, has been having a long-term affair with her brother-in-law, Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott), who runs the hospital.
The town of Hemlock Grove is plagued by strange and tragic events connected to the Institute and, particularly, to Olivia and her son, Roman (Bill Skarsgård), who are both a type of vampire called upirs. The story begins with a series of violent murders that happen at the same time a Romani teenager named Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) and his mother arrive in town.
I remember when Hemlock Grove first came out – everyone was buzzing about it! The premise was fantastic: a fresh, modern spin on classic monsters like vampires, werewolves, and even Frankenstein’s creature. With Eli Roth producing, I really thought it had the potential to be huge. Sadly, it didn’t quite live up to the hype. While the initial idea was strong, the writing became inconsistent, and honestly, the show just lost its way in the later seasons – both visually and in terms of the story. It ended up being one of Netflix’s first big cancellations, which was a real shame.
The OA
2016-2019
The OA is a science fiction mystery drama series created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. The show centers around Prairie Johnson (played by Marling), a young woman who disappeared for seven years. When she returns, she can suddenly see and now goes by the name “the OA,” which stands for “original angel.”
Prairie won’t share her experiences with the FBI, but she confides in five people from the local community. She tells them what happened and asks for their help, as she’s discovered she can travel to different dimensions and wants to save others who have gone missing.
Although critics and viewers loved it, Netflix canceled The OA after just two seasons because it was expensive to make. This unfortunately means the show never got to finish its story, and it ended with a major cliffhanger that will likely remain unresolved.
Travelers
2016-2018
Travelers is a science fiction TV series created by Brad Wright. The show is set in a future where society is collapsing, and a group of special operatives, called “travelers,” are sent back in time to prevent that from happening. They do this by transferring their consciousness into the bodies of people who are about to die in the present day, allowing them to live on and change the course of history.
Okay, so “Travelers” really intrigued me. The premise is clever – these agents from the future blend in by meticulously researching the lives of the people they inhabit, basically becoming them through social media and public records. And the really wild part? They’re guided by this ‘Director’ who can temporarily possess children – a risky move, but apparently, one they’ve figured out how to do safely. Honestly, the show got a lot of buzz from critics, and I can see why – the concept alone is packed with possibilities.
As a big fan of sci-fi, I was really bummed when Travelers got canceled. It was a fantastic show, but apparently, it was just too expensive to make. Thankfully, though, unlike so many other shows that get cut short, Travelers actually wrapped things up nicely for its viewers. We got a proper ending, which I really appreciated!
Shadow and Bone
2021-2023
Shadow and Bone is a fantasy television series adapted from the novels Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. The show is set in the Grishaverse, a world inspired by real-world nations. It centers on Alina Starkov (played by Jessie Mei Li), a mapmaker who discovers she possesses magical powers as a Grisha.
Alina is destined to be the Sun Summoner, making her vital to the fate of her world. The Netflix series Shadow and Bone generated a lot of excitement in 2021 due to the popularity of the original books. However, despite positive reviews, the show was cancelled after just two seasons.
Despite having a dedicated fanbase and being very popular on Netflix, Shadow and Bone was cancelled because the show’s viewing numbers didn’t cover its production expenses. It was poised to become a major hit for the streamer, but Netflix ultimately made a decision that hindered its own potential success.
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2025-11-26 02:10