The following mentions self-harm and suicide.

Netflix has become infamous for canceling shows after just one or two seasons, based largely on the completion rate. That is, the percentage of viewers that complete a season. However, that metric can't be blamed for every ddropped series. Take, for example, Terrace House, the Japanese reality show whose cancellation was out of Netflix's hands.

Co-produced with Fuji TV, Terrace House ended in 2020 before all the episodes of its season had aired

Given that the series ended during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, it makes sense that even ardent fans might not know the tragic story of Terrace House's abrupt demise.

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The Tragic Reason Behind Terrace House's Cancellation

Hana Kimura on Terrace House

Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 aired what turned out to be its final episode on May 19, 2020. On March 23, one of its cast members, 22-year-old professional wrestler Hana Kimura, died. Kimura's death was preceded by disturbing tweets and Instagram posts showing evidence of self-harm. Authorities officially ruled that Kimura committed suicide in December 2020. In tweets that preceded her death, Kimura shared some of the abusive comments she received online following an episode of Terrace House. In response, she tweeted, "I have received nearly 100 honest opinions every day and I cannot deny that I got hurt."

Viewers lashed out at Kimura over a heated moment between her and housemate Kai Edward Kobayashi. After Kobayashi accidentally shrunk her wrestling gear in the wash, Kimura retaliated by pushing a hat off his head and storming off. It was a rare contentious moment on a show that became an international hit due to how much it eschewed typical reality-show histrionics. However, it comes across as tame outside the show's context.

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The abuse Kimura received received included racist epithets due to her Indonesian heritage. She also received death threats and other forms of online harassment. It was something she was bullied for as a child. There were consequences for some people involved in Kimura's harassment. Two men were later arrested for cyberbullying. One of them admitted he was "simply joining in" on the online dogpile on Kimura following the episode.

Fuji TV initially paused airing episodes of Terrace House following Kimura's death. On May 27, 2020, the network announced ut was canceling production of Terrace House, and offered condolences to Kimura's family. Two completed episodes went unaired. Netflix removed the season from its database in Japan in mid-2020. The streaming serviced then removed all the episodes in which Kimura appeared from international markets on Aug. 10, 2020.

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Is Terrace House Coming Back?

The cast of Terrace House

Technically, only the latest incarnation of Terrace House was canceled in the wake of Kimura's death. Nearly two years later, some might hope the show could continue, having learned to better support its cast members. However, there has been no official word about a possible future for the franchise.

There was speculation that a trial balloon for Terrace House's return was being launched on YouTube. Terrace House alumni like presenter Reina Triendl released videos that had all the trademarks of a Terrace House episode. If this was meant as a way to reintroduce the show, it didn't lead to Terrace House's return to television.

Kimura's death cast a pall over Terrace House that it's unlikely to shake. Beyond the association with a tragedy, the aftermath revealed the seies asn't as different from your garden-variety reality show as it appeared. Kimura's mother, Kyoko, alleged her daughter was encouraged by the producers to act like a pro-wrestling villain. That allegedly included her confrontation with Kobayashi. That experience was shared by cast members who spoke anonymously to The New York Times, negating the tasteful, wholesome image that made Terrace House an international hit.