Streaming services, please give me my favorite shows back

Once upon a time (Nov 30, 2022), the show “Willow” was released on Disney+. Based on the movie of the same name (released in 1988), “Willow” was an incredible show filled with fantasy, magic and undeniable charm. However, even with the show’s popularity, Disney+ canceled and erased the entire show after one season. If you log into Disney+ and search for the show, it will not appear.  

I’m pissed about it! Cancel the show, sure, but to erase it is an absurd act of greed that only a corporate streaming service can dream about. I am also thinking of the cast and crew of the show, who worked so incredibly hard to work on a project they were proud of, only to have that work erased. It is difficult to get into shows now because, honestly, all I can think about is this show’s likeliness to make it another year. Now that’s crazy.  

Streaming services have canceled shows since the dawn of time; however, in recent years, the practice of canceling shows has become frequent and ridiculous. According to Forbes, the percentage of shows canceled by Netflix between 2020 and August 2023 was 10.2%. Who remembers “The Society”? I do! And many other people do as well! Netflix, however, still canceled the show after one season.  

More recently came “Dead Boy Detectives”, “Lockwood and Co”, and “First Kill”: all shows geared towards fantasy and sci-fi audiences that were doing rather well on Netflix. According to Time magazine,  “First Kill” was in the global top 10 list for three weeks.  

Additionally, there is much to say about Netflix canceling shows geared towards a queer audience. “Warrior Nun”, for example, was canceled after an incredible season two and, you guessed it, featured queer female characters.  I am unsure if it is due to fear from backlash or due to the show not making Netflix money but cancelling shows with queer characters also eliminates chances to increase queer visibility.  

I do wonder if directors are hesitant to work on shows because of so many being canceled. I was scrolling through social media recently and came across Alex Hirsch, creator of Gravity Falls, talking about how because of censorship he was unable to make a pride episode because of Disney. While that isn’t a show that got canceled, there is a theme of creativity being stifled, especially when it comes to queer shows or queer themes.  

The absurd thing is that most of the shows that people have been enjoying have been cancelled. I spoke to a friend and recommended “Dead Boy Detectives” to them, and they told me they didn’t want to get into a show they know will get canceled by Netflix, which I can understand! I am also weary of starting a new show, even if the premise sounds like it was made just for me. Who knows if any show will make it to a second season?  

“Kaos”, “The Acolyte”, “My Lady Jane”, “The Brothers Sun”, “American-Born Chinese” and so many other shows were canceled this year by their respective streaming services. I could go on and on with the list of shows that will never see another season, and even longer with complaints from viewers who just want to watch their favorite show.  Fandoms aren’t forming as well and are falling apart due to lack of content for their shows. Going back to “Dead Boy Detectives”, I noticed that while at first many fans flocked online to share their love for the show, once it got canceled less and less fans posted about the show. Even the “Willow” fandom, which was large and gathered the attention of those that loved the film as well, slowly disappeared after the film’s cancellation and erasure.  

Now more than ever, viewers are scared that their favorite show will be canceled because most of the time, it usually is. The industry is competitive, and it feels like everything is just about the numbers. I have started many shows with the promise that they will get better and that maybe the first season won’t be as good as the rest- that feels impossible now. There is no space for story potential and creative storylines, no time for cliffhangers and sudden endings that make you wish for more- because there won’t be more.   

There will be consequences for the entertainment industry as I feel they will have to work so much harder to get people to commit to their shows. Promotion campaigns will have to go much harder, and budgets will mostly go towards building a potential fan base for the new show. The thing is though, it is impossible to build a fandom in this way. Fans come to create an authentic community and discuss the shows they love. If streaming services want to maintain a loyal base, they need to reassure those fans that their shows will exist past the first season. Shows do not have the same authentic feel to them anymore and I firmly believe that streaming services need to listen to their fans more and cut this out. It’s time. 

So, dear streaming services, please stop canceling good shows—and Disney+, bring “Willow” back.