Netflix isn’t just a place where beloved shows go to get new life anymore. Now that Netflix is an original programmer and one of the big boys at that, it has to break some hearts and disappoint viewers like other networks do. Passionate fans used to turn to Netflix not only to re-engage with shows that had been cancelled elsewhere, but also in hopes that Netflix would give one of those shows a Willie Wonka-style Golden Ticket and bring it back to life. Can you say Gilmore Girls? Fuller House? Arrested Development?
But canceling The Get Down, Sense8 and numerous other original shows, Netflix turns from the resuscitator to the heavy. It’s a natural evolution as the distributor turns into the creator. In canceling Sense8, the innovative show that connected eight strangers all around the globe, there was regret but a sense of accomplishment. Netflix pulled the Sense8 plug after two seasons with Cindy Holland, Netflix Original Programming VP, saying: “It is everything we and the fans dreamed it would be: bold, emotional, stunning, kickass and outright unforgettable. Never has there been a more truly global show with an equally diverse and international cast and crew.”
