Netflix has stood out for its original content, and while some of them have been big hits, others should have been huge, but didn’t reach their full potential. Netflix has a great variety of TV shows, both licensed and original, and in the latter category, it has some of the best TV shows of all time, such as Stranger Things and Mindhunter.
Netflix has excelled at original content, but it has also had some notable failures in this category. Among them are some shows that should have been huge, either due to their concept, source material, cast, crew, or potential, but that, for different reasons, didn’t get the success they were meant to have.
Girlboss
2017
Girlboss is a comedy TV series created by Kay Cannon and based on Sophia Amoruso’s 2014 autobiography of the same name. Girlboss follows Sophia Marlowe (Britt Robertson), a rebellious outcast who, after being fired from her job, successfully starts her own online vintage clothing store called Nasty Gal.
Despite the popularity of Nasty Gal, the show’s themes of entrepreneurship, self-discovery, and empowerment, along with its comedic approach to Amoruso’s story, Girlboss was canceled after just one season. Girlboss had potential, but when it was released, its flaws were more and more noticeable than its strengths.
Girlboss was criticized for its unlikable main character, comedy that felt forced and was predictable most of the time, and underwhelming performances. With a different approach and more exposure from Netflix, Girlboss could have succeeded.
Hemlock Grove
2013-2015
Hemlock Grove is a horror TV show based on Brian McGreevy’s 2012 novel of the same name. Hemlock Grove takes the audience to the fictional title town in Pennsylvania, where the wealthy Godfrey family lives. The Godfreys own the town’s main sources of employment: a steel mill that closed years ago, the Godfrey Institute for Biomedical Technologies and Hemlock Acres Hospital.
In charge of the Institute is Olivia Godfrey (Famke Janssen), the widow of JR Godfrey, and in charge of the hospital is her brother-in-law, Norman Godfrey (Dougray Scott), with whom she has had an affair for years.
The town has seen some supernatural occurrences and tragedies, which are linked to the Institute and, more specifically, to Olivia and her son, Roman (Bill Skarsgård), who are both upirs (a type of vampire). The events of Hemlock Grove begin with a series of brutal murders that coincide with the arrival of Romani teenager Peter Rumancek (Landon Liboiron) and his mother.
Peter is suspected to be a werewolf… and it’s correct. Hemlock Grove is a modern take on vampires, werewolves, and Frankenstein’s creature, and this, along with Eli Roth’s involvement as producer, set it up for success. Unfortunately, its uneven writing and seasons 2 and 3 decreasing a lot in visual and narrative quality led it to be one of Netflix’s earliest failures.
The OA
2016-2019
The OA is a mystery drama sci-fi TV series created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij. The OA follows Prairie Johnson (Marling), a young blind woman who had been missing for seven years. When Prairie resurfaces, she can now see and calls herself “the OA”, meaning “original angel.”
Prairie refuses to tell the FBI where she was and what happened to her, but she assembles a team of five locals to whom she tells her story and who she asks for help to save other missing people, as she now also has the ability to travel between dimensions.
Despite its success with critics and general audiences, Netflix canceled The OA after two seasons due to its high production costs, thus stopping it from reaching its full potential. Even worse, The OA ended on a cliffhanger that won’t be solved any time soon.
Travelers
2016-2018
Travelers is a sci-fi TV show created by Brad Wright. Travelers takes the audience into a post-apocalyptic future where special operatives known as “travelers” are tasked with preventing the collapse of society. For this, the “travelers” have their consciousnesses sent back in time and transferred into the “host” body of a present-day person about to die, so they can prevent big changes to the future.
The “travelers” maintain their disguise by learning about their hosts through social media and public records, and get instructions from the Director, who can briefly take over prepubescent children without risking their lives. Travelers was a hit with critics, and its concept gave it a lot of potential.
Unfortunately, Travelers was canceled after two seasons for its high production costs, but, unlike other TV shows canceled prematurely, at least Travelers got to give its audience a satisfying conclusion.
Shadow and Bone
2021-2023
Shadow and Bone is a fantasy TV show based on Leigh Bardugo’s novels Shadow and Bone and Six of Crows. Shadow and Bone takes the audience into the Grishaverse, formed by six nations based on real countries. The series follows Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li), a cartographer who learns she’s a Grisha, and as such, she has magical abilities.
Alina is also the prophesied Sun Summoner, and as such, she’s key to saving her world. Shadow and Bone was one of Netflix’s most anticipated projects of 2021 thanks to the books’ popularity, but despite being well-received by critics, it didn’t go past two seasons.
Even though Shadow and Bone had a big and loyal fanbase, and it was one of Netflix’s most-watched TV shows, the streamer found that its viewership didn’t justify the show’s production costs. Shadow and Bone was on its way to being one of Netflix’s biggest shows ever, and the streamer sabotaged itself with its cancellation.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2023
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Eric Heisserer
