Netflix just won’t learn its lesson, will it? Once again, the streaming service has decided to cancel a show just before truly getting the ball rolling and testing the waters with how it could grow its audience across multiple seasons. 1899, the mystery series by the creators of Dark, will not be returning for a second season. Baran bo Odar took to his personal Instagram account to share the sad news, as Netflix has passed on continuing the series after its first season.
It was an ambitious new project that explored the story of a steamship Cerberus on its journey across the Atlantic, which leads to them finding one that has vanished months earlier. The first season ended on a cliffhanger that was going to build upon the story elements introduced going into the second season, but it seems we won’t be getting that after all.
Netflix has a bad habit of canceling shows that are only getting started, as they mainly focus on whatever project can break a record. It’s not realistic to put all their eggs in one basket, especially while they are pushing out high-budget shows with minimal promotion and hoping about their virality. Wednesday is not the norm but rather an exception.
1899 not surviving even with the involvement of the talented creative team of Dark, it does open up the challenge of what other show might get canceled before it gets going. Streaming services can provide projects for longer periods of time but they mainly rely on whatever can pull in a massive viewership just in its opening weekend. We’ll have to see what it means for other projects in the future.
Source: Instagram
