BoJack Horseman concluded its six-season run on Netflix last week. Despite initially mixed reviews, the animated tragicomedy is among the most critically acclaimed and beloved shows in the history of the streaming service. While shows like BoJack Horseman and Orange Is The New Black were able to enjoy lengthy runs, most on Netflix aren’t as lucky. Series with cult followings, like Santa Clarita Diet, Sense8 and One Day At a Time, were abruptly canceled after only a couple of seasons.

To understand Netflix’s quick trigger, the best place to look is the platform's underlying business model. For traditional broadcast networks and productions, it's extremely important to find long-term hits that can sustain ratings and later bring in big bucks through syndication. Hit procedurals on network television such as NCIS and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit have run for decades and aired hundreds of episodes. Popular network comedies like The Big Bang Theory and Two and A Half Men can run for over a decade. Given Netflix has a subscriber-based model of business, the streaming service is looking for shows that will give it more viewers. If a new show isn’t generating enough buzz, Netflix will likely cancel it after its second season.

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Sense8

Netflix’s cost-plus model also makes shows more expensive after they move forward from season to season. In addition to the cast, the show’s producers see a subsequent bump in fees with each new season, thus making every show more expensive as it moves forward. Deadline, which broke down Netflix’s cost-plus model, notes the streaming service is known for granting creative freedom to writers and producers, yet tightens its renewal criteria when the cost of a series begins to rise. Popular shows like Stranger Things are easily renewed, because they're responsible for driving viewership and new subscribers. Of course, the overwhelming majority of Netflix shows don’t receive that level of attention.

Shows that generated award buzz are less likely to be canceled by Netflix. Stranger Things is often a big player at the Emmys, and both Ozark and Russian Doll were nominated in major categories at the latest ceremony. One Day at a Time, which was canceled after three seasons, had a loyal base of fans and positive reviews from critics. However, the Latinx sitcom failed to receive nominations or have a strong viewership. Fans rallied on social media for another season of One Day at a Time, but Netflix believed that the show was unlikely to draw new subscribers. After its cancellation on Netflix, One Day at a Time was revived on Pop TV, making it the first canceled series at the platform to get revived on a traditional network.

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The cast of Netflix's One Day at a Time

While Netflix tends to cancel most shows after a handful of seasons, it usually introduces multiple new series on a weekly basis. Most Netflix shows tend to last thirty episodes or three seasons, as the shows gradually become more expensive as they move forward and it is also harder for new viewers to jump in. Netflix famously pulled the plug on all of its Marvel television shows, after it acquired them at a very high price. While the Marvel shows were initially very successful for the streaming service, they failed to receive the same amount of attention after the first few seasons.

The majority of shows on other streaming services, like Hulu and Amazon Prime, are also canceled after only a couple of seasons. Both superhero comedy The Tick and crime drama Sneaky Pete had brief runs on Amazon Prime Video, while sitcoms Difficult People and Casual met their surprising ends on Hulu. Meanwhile, Netflix's recent hit, fantasy-drama The Witcher, was viewed by over 76 million viewers within the first month, making it one of the most popular shows of 2019 alongside Netflix’s Stranger Things and Disney+’s The Mandalorian.

With streaming services dropping hundreds of shows on a yearly basis, it's extremely difficult for shows to stand out and acquire a large following. While thousands of fans may protest the cancellation of a beloved show on social media, the overwhelming majority will keep their Netflix subscriptions because the streaming service produces a consistent outpour of content. Netflix’s biggest hits, Stranger Things and The Witcher, will likely run several more seasons and generate revenue for the streaming service through merchandise and licensing deals. While the future of television may be streaming, it's certainly a bleaker future for many writers and producers currently working in the industry.

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