"The End of an Era: 1899 Cancelled by Netflix"

The MONITOR is a weekly column that covers everything related to the WIRED culture, including movies, memes, TV, and Twitter. Earlier this week, the creators of Netflix’s popular series Dark, Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese, announced on Instagram that their new series, 1899, would not be renewed for a second season despite receiving positive reviews and being among the streamer’s top 10 shows.

The creators expressed their disappointment that the series would not continue, stating that “sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned.” In the streaming industry, it can be unpredictable as to which shows will be successful and receive additional seasons, and which will not. Some speculate that the reason for the cancellation of 1899 could be due to its “completion rate,” or the percentage of viewers who finish watching the show, which was reportedly below 50%, or because the show is expensive. However, as Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos stated, “it’s 70% gut and 30% data.” There is no one specific metric that determines the fate of a show on the streamer.

With the need to focus on its bottom line, Netflix must be cautious about investing in costly shows that do not become huge hits. However, cancelling a show before it has the chance to gain a following may be shortsighted, especially at a time when the streaming giant needs to retain subscribers. It is worth noting that cancelled shows, such as Firefly and The OA, sometimes gain more cult status because of their cancellation. It is possible that this could happen with 1899 or Warrior Nun, but the cancellation of 1899 highlights the fact that Netflix, like other streaming services, now has to operate similarly to traditional TV networks. As streaming becomes more popular, traditional networks may have less of a captive audience. While streaming companies like Netflix may discover and offer a variety of lesser-known shows, they may not always choose to keep them.