I’m ditching Netflix. Those are words I never thought I’d say. However, thanks to the streaming service’s infamous two-season curse, I have no choice.
In case you’re not aware, Netflix tends to cancel many of its original series following their second season. As a result, many of these shows end on a cliffhanger that’s never resolved. While these affected shows aren’t the best on the service, they still deserved more than two seasons.
7
The OA (2016-19)
Of all the shows that’ve suffered from the two-season Netflix curse, The OA is the one that hurt me the most. Created by and starring Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, this show had it all: science fiction, the supernatural, and fantasy. It also had a brilliant supporting cast headed by Jason Isaacs, who recently starred in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus.
One of the biggest drawbacks of The OA, and perhaps one of the reasons for its short life, is how it slow-burned the story. It took a few episodes for the show to get its footing, and even then, not everything came into focus at once. For those of us who stayed for the journey, however, the payoffs of each of the two seasons were remarkable and worth the wait.
The OA’s cancellation didn’t just leave a few season-ending questions unanswered. As Marling has explained to TheWrap, she and Batmanglij had a five-season plan mapped out for the series.
6
Sense8 (2015-18)
Airing at nearly the same time as The OA, Sense8 was one of Netflix’s first original series, with an emphasis on original. The science fiction drama was created by the Wachowski siblings (the team behind The Matrix trilogy), which should tell you a lot about how mind-bending Sense8 was.
The series revolved around eight strangers who lived in different parts of the world. Each becomes a “sensate,” which allows them to communicate with one another mentally and emotionally, regardless of language. As a “sensate,” they could even share experiences, abilities, and each other’s physical locations through their minds.
Sense8 was a decidedly adult series that wasn’t afraid to tackle sometimes controversial themes, including gender and diversity. Whether Netflix deemed it too hot to handle in the long run is anyone’s guess.
However, due to its rabid fanbase, Sense8 was given a proper sendoff—a 2.5-hour movie that tied up all the loose ends. For that, many others and I will always be grateful. Besides being a terrific show, Sense8 also led to an awesome fantasy playlist you can listen to on Spotify.
5
That ’90s Show (2023-24)
One of the most popular TV sitcoms of the 1990s was That ’70s Show, which followed a group of teenagers in Wisconsin. Twenty-four years later, Netflix attempted a reboot, That ’90s Show.
Picking up about 15 years after the original, the 2023 comedy series once again featured Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp as Red and Kitty Forman. However, instead of raising their children (and tolerating their long list of friends), they hosted their granddaughter over the summer. That character, the daughter of the original series’ Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon), naturally found a group of friends to hang out with—hence the premise of the series.
That ’90s Show had all the elements necessary for success, including appearances by characters from the original series and plenty of teenage humor in the Formans’ iconic basement. I believe the spin-off improved with each new episode; however, after 26 episodes, Netflix decided to cancel it due to low ratings. While its demise isn’t exactly earth-shattering, it’s frustrating nonetheless.
4
Mindhunter (2017-19)
In 1995, John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker published the true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. Twenty years later, it became the American psychological crime thriller Mindhunter. Set in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the series followed real-life FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Tench (Holt McCallany), along with psychologist Wendy Carr (Anna Torv), as they explored new (at the time) studies, including criminal profiling. Along the way, they interviewed characters based on real killers, including Edmund Kemper, Charles Manson, and the BTK Killer, Dennis Rader.
Leading up to Mindhunter‘s debut, it was highly anticipated because it was executive-produced by David Fincher, who was behind the psychological thrillers Se7en and Zodiac. Fincher directed several episodes, and his renowned attention to detail was on display.
Technically, Mindhunter hasn’t been canceled; instead, it has been put on “indefinite hold.” Those close to Netflix cited several reasons for the drama’s current status, including the high cost of producing each episode (as ComingSoon explained), the grueling production schedule, and Fincher’s other projects. Mindhunter (the series) might never return, but it now appears that three two-hour movies might be produced (per IndieWire) to continue the story. Whether these films will be on Netflix isn’t yet known.
3
Altered Carbon (2018-20)
Based on the novel of the same name by Richard K. Morgan, Altered Carbon was a cyberpunk series set in a future where a person’s consciousness can be digitized. The result: twisty stories set in a future most would hope will never exist.
Ambitious in its storytelling, Altered Carbon was almost certainly never expected to gain a considerable following. And it doesn’t take a Hollywood accountant to recognize that each episode of the series had cost millions of dollars to produce. And yet, like other shows on this list, its premature ending is frustrating because Netflix missed an opportunity to develop it into something more. Besides, the unanswered questions the story left are unfortunate.
Will Altered Carbon ever return? It’s unlikely. There’s little doubt that Netflix will release more ambitious and costly science fiction series, only to cancel them after two seasons, though.
2
Warrior Nun (2020-22)
For those who like fantasy action, there was Warrior Nun. Based on Ben Dunn’s comic book series Warrior Nun Areala, the story follows a quadriplegic orphan who mysteriously wakes up in a morgue with a strange halo embedded in her back that gives her supernatural powers.
Through 18 episodes, Warrior Nun beautifully blended various elements, including fantasy, action, and religion. When the series was abruptly canceled, there were plenty of reasons for fans to be upset, starting with a massive cliffhanger at the end of the final episode.
A year after Warrior Nun was canceled, executive producer Dean English said a trilogy of feature films would eventually arrive in theaters without any involvement from Netflix. However, two years later, as confirmed by a page on the Warrior Nun site, English unfortunately passed away. It appears that financial issues will prevent the films from coming to fruition (per Frayed Branches), at least for now.
1
The Order (2019-20)
Dark family secrets, along with a powerful struggle between werewolves and those who practice dark magic, were the basis of the supernatural horror drama The Order. It starred Jake Manley as Jack Morton, who searches for an understanding of his enigmatic family heritage that he slowly uncovered throughout the show’s 20 episodes and two seasons. Along the way, the series presented an interesting mix of characters, setting up a compelling story of good versus evil.
What initially drew me to The Order was its strong horror elements. However, even its romantic moments kept me engaged, which isn’t something that usually interests me in a TV show. Naturally, The Order ended on a cliffhanger, and no reason was cited for its cancellation. No doubt, viewership numbers weren’t what Netflix wanted, and it decided to move on.