Why YOUR favorite Netflix show is canceled: Streaming giant uses a secret metric that has led to more than 15 original shows being axed this year
Netflix appears to be on a serial killing spree of popular original series — the streaming giant has already canceled more than 15 shows this year.
Some fan favorites include 1899, Young Wallander, and Inside Job, which amassed millions of hours of viewing but fell short of a statistic needed to survive another season.
The streaming giant relies on third parties to provide completion rates, the percentage of viewers who complete the entire show.
This completion percentage must be 50 percent or higher for Netflix to continue with another season, or it will disappear without an official end.
Netflix’s 1899 clocked in at a whopping 87.9 million hours watched but had a low 32 percent, and Inside Job and Young Wallander suffered a decline in the second season, leading to their demise.
The streaming giant relies on third parties to provide completion rates, the percentage of viewers who complete the entire show. This completion rate must be 50 percent or higher for Netflix to continue with another season or it will disappear without an official end
Netflix’s 1899 clocked in a whopping 87.9 million hours watched, but had a low 32 percent
Unlike traditional television shows, Netflix has the ability to look at their users’ viewing habits in much greater detail.
The platform collects how many hours people watch, what’s available to the public, and recently added a weekly Top 10 list of the most popular shows and movies.
But there’s a saying that sums up completion rates: “Here today, gone tomorrow.”
Many of the shows on the 2023 canceled list had a substantial online presence, but a small group of fans can blow this up.
The drama thriller series 1899 entered the Top 10 list shortly after its release on November 17.
The completion rate for Inside Job’s first season was 91 percent, with over 21 million hours watched. But the completion rate dropped to 58 percent in the second season
The popular crime series Young Wallander was also canceled after two seasons
The eight-episode series focused on the events surrounding the passengers on a migrating steamship forging westward with optimism at the turn of the century, when they crossed the Prometheus, another ship at sea, significantly changing the tone of the journey.
The show captivated viewers with its sci-fi, mystery, suspense and psychological drama elements, which some said resembled the hit TV series Lost.
And even though it reached 80 million hours of views in just four days after release, people seemed to lose interest and stop watching.
On January 3, creators Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar canceled the show in a joint statement on Instagram.
“It is with a heavy heart that we have to tell you that 1899 will not be extended,” they said. “We would have loved to conclude this incredible journey with a 2nd and 3rd season, just like Dark. But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned.
‘That’s life. We know this will disappoint millions of fans. But we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this wonderful adventure. We love you. Never forget.’
Inside Job and Young Wallander had similar fates, but were at least renewed for a second season.
The completion rate for Inside Job’s first season was 91 percent, with over 21 million hours watched.
But the completion rate dropped to 58 percent in the second season.
While that was above 50 percent, Netflix determined that the animated series was too expensive to produce and that animation has historically been viewed as less valuable than live-action productions.
The popular crime series Young Wallander was also canceled after two seasons.
The series, which debuted in 2020, was based on the origin story of Henning Manskell’s Detective Inspector Kurt Wallander, played by Adam Palsson.
The plot revolves around a watchful detective who digs into the hate crime swirling civil unrest in Sweden.
Sources said the performance was not enough to keep it afloat.
And Netflix’s top 10 global data registered the second season as an epic failure.