Fans of the new Netflix series “1899” got a shock on Monday when the show’s co-creators, Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese — showrunners on Netflix mystery hit “Dark” — announced their new series had been cancelled after just one season.

“With a heavy heart we have to tell you that ‘1899’ will not be renewed,” read the pair’s statement, posted on Instagram. “We would have loved to finish this incredible journey with a second and third season as we did with ‘Dark.’ But sometimes things don’t turn out the way you planned. That’s life.”

For many, the news came out of nowhere. “1899” launched last November with a full-on media blitz, garnered sterling critical reviews worldwide and, according to Netflix’s own charts, debuted at number 1 on the streaming platform in 55 countries.

An ambitious mystery series

Critics and many viewers praised the show’s ambition. The show is a twisted meta-mystery about her 19th-century immigrant group caught on a steamer bound for America. The show was filmed in multiple languages, with actors such as German Andreas Peachmann, Danish actor Lukas Lingard Tonnesen, and Hong Kong star Isabella Way speaking in their native languages.

It was also a technical marvel.
It’s one of his first series shot on an LED volume stage. LED Volume Stage is a cutting-edge digital special effects technology that allows directors to create complex visual effects in front of the camera. The entire first season was filmed at Dark Bay LED Studios on the Studio Babelsberg site outside Berlin.

Like “Dark,” “1899” was conceived as his three-season show with a similar Russian puppet structure. Each season ends with a cliffhanger, revealing a new layer of story. Closing after the first season leaves fans with many unanswered questions and a lot of frustration.

Online protest shows strong fan base

As is so often the case these days, many took to the internet to protest and demand that Netflix reverse its decision. The #Save1899 Twitter account he has amassed over 27,400 followers in 24 hours, and within hours he had over 20,000 signatures on Change.org calling for an extension of the show.

“#1899 Netflix has worked so well around the world and had a unique and interesting artistic identity that I neither understand nor accept its cancellation,” wrote one Twitter user. rice field. “If you cancel this kind of series, what are you left with? An insult to the audience and staff. @netflix explain! “

Netflix, which isn’t used to explaining its creative or commercial decisions, probably won’t satisfy 1899 fans.

But the reasons why “1899” was canceled are as mundane as the show was complicated.
In terms of viewership, it fell short of Netflix’s expectations.

This may have been because “1899” season 1 had lower ratings than “Dark” season 3, or because not enough new subscribers signed up for the show. Acquiring new subscribers is Netflix’s main goal. Critical acclaim and “top 10 charts” aside, “1899” was a flop by whatever metric the Netflix Bean Counter used. Or at least not successful enough to warrant a second season. Dark was a surprise success, reaching a huge worldwide audience for a low-budget German-language series, but it should be noted that expectations for 1899 were very high, especially since the budget was much higher. Worth remembering.

Several popular Netflix series cancelled

The truth is, Netflix has become more cost-conscious.

Declining U.S. subscriber numbers and slowing international growth, combined with increased competition in the form of Disney+ and HBO Max, are forcing streaming platforms to focus more on bottom line revenue.

1899 isn’t the only Netflix series with a strong following to pick up the ax these days.

“Resident Evil” was canceled after one season, and “Warrior Sister” was canceled after two seasons. These shows may reappear elsewhere — Netflix itself has brought back canceled series like Arrested Development and Gilmore Girls — but a rabid online following alone won’t let us see season renewals. is not sufficient to guarantee What Netflix cares more about than fan and critical acclaim is profit. Eight episodes and online he says two months later, if “1899” isn’t enough to convince higher minds that this show is worth spending money on, that’s life.