The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had an immeasurable impact on the film and television industry. Even now as lockdowns are lifted and various projects prepare to resume production, networks are being forced to cancel shows entirely. Netflix has cancelled shows that had previously been renewed, such as I Am Not Okay With This and The Society.

The Society creator Christopher Keyser recently provided comment on recent events regarding the series. He explained that the last several months had been spent preparing to return to production with the implementation of new health and safety protocols. He stated, "I got a call from Netflix saying, 'We have made this decision.' It was obviously pretty upsetting and abrupt."

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According to recent reports, the decision to cancel The Society, despite its positive reception, was due to the overall cost of the series, which had increased due to the COVID-19-related safety measures required for filming. Keyser stated, "We were dealing with Netflix and the rise in the budget and all of that kind of stuff... There were ongoing conversations — we knew that there were challenges for this." He went on to say, "I can't pretend I'm surprised... I know we had many months of conversations about the challenges of producing in this environment."

Netflix's The Society centered on a group of teens who struggle to establish a community of their own after everyone in their town -- the fictional West Ham, Connecticut -- seemingly vanishes. It is revealed in the final moments of Season 1 that the teens are actually in an parallel universe and are missing from their real town.

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(via Variety)