(Shadow and Bone, Photo: Netflix)
Netflix has dropped the axe on five of its shows. The streaming service has cancelled live-action shows Shadow and Bone and Glamorous, as well as animated shows Agent Elvis, Farzar, and Captain Fall. The production delays caused by the recently ended WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes were partly to blame for the cancellations, as were subscriber views vs production costs.
Starring Jessie Mei Li, Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, Danielle Galligan, Daisy Head, Calahan Skogman, Lewis Tan, Anna Leong Brophy, Jack Wolfe, Patrick Gibson, and Ben Barnes, Shadow and Bone is based on the novels by Leigh Bardugo. It follows Alina Starkov (Li) as she discovers she has rare powers. The second season of Shadow and Bone was released in March.
Debuting in July, Glamourous stars Miss Benny and Kim Cattrall and follows Marco Mejia (Miss Benny), a gender non-conforming queer man who lands a job that changes their life forever. The series started as a pilot for The CW, but Netflix decided to pick up the series when the network passed on it.
As for the animated series cancelled by Netflix, Deadline revealed the following:
In adult animation, Netflix is going through a transition period. The department’s new leadership, set late last year when Billy Wee was tapped as Director of Adult Animation, are starting to put their stamp with their development slate as Netflix continues to invest in the genre, which has delivered such hits as Bojack Horseman, Big Mouth, F is for Family, and Disenchantment. Agent Elvis, Farzar and Captain Fall were all developed and greenlighted by the previous adult animation regime.
Captain Fall‘s cancellation comes in the midst of Season 1. The animated series had been picked up for a 20-episode first season to air in two parts. The decision not to proceed comes after Part 1, released in July, failed to draw a large audience.
Matthew McConaughey voices Elvis Presley, in Agent Elvis, which debuted in March. He also executive produces the series from Priscilla Presley and John Eddie, Sony Pictures Animation, Authentic Brands Group and Titmouse. Co-created by Priscilla Presley and Eddie, in Agent Elvis, Elvis Presley trades in his jumpsuit for a jet pack when he is covertly inducted into a secret government spy program to battle the dark forces that threaten the country he loves – all while holding down his day job as the King Of Rock ‘n Roll.
Farzar, which debuted in July 2022, is a sci-fi comedy that follows Prince Fichael and his crew as they venture out of their domed human city to fight the evil aliens that want to kill and/or eat them. It hails from Paradise PD creators and executive producers Roger Black and Waco O’Guin, Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment and Bento Box Entertainment.
What do you think? Did you want to see more of these Netflix shows? Which cancellation surprises or disappoints you the most?