You’re canceled

Canceled shows affect future vitality of streaming networks

ZOE MARIE ZAPANTA / ASST. OPINION EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

Since the dawn of the digital age, streaming your favorite movies or TV shows has been a prevalent part of our culture. Companies like Netflix, Hulu and HBO Max have secured themselves as top streaming services in the country. These networks are known for their original and exclusive content, but recently more streaming sites are getting rid of that content to cut costs. The cancelation of so many fan-favorite shows has led to a decrease in how many people continue to pay for streaming services. 

My recommendation is that, if streaming services want to keep their subscribers, they should start reinvesting their money in preexisting series before creating new shows that will inevitably face the same fate. When these shows end so suddenly with no proper endings, fans are continuously left disappointed that they spent their time and money watching. 

The abrupt end to so many television series has people questioning whether streaming is a worthwhile investment. With rising costs of living across the country, cutting unnecessary costs — including streaming — is a decision people might need to make, especially if their favorite shows are left on the cutting room floor. Many of these beloved shows are scrapped for new shows, which then also get canceled, and the cycle continues. 

Netflix is especially guilty of pulling the plug. They recently announced the end of 20 shows within the last year according to an article from Gamestop. After criticisms of the network, Bloomberg interviewed executives from the company. The CEO of Netflix, Ted Sarandos, in response to the criticisms, claims that Netflix “has never canceled a successful show.” Sarandos goes on to say “A lot of these shows were well-intended, but talk to a very small audience on a very big budget.” But these shows never received enough support or promotion from the network to be able to raise their viewership numbers. 

The newest edition of the quarterly media consumption tracking survey from Attest, a consumer research platform, found that subscription TV services declined from October to December of 2022. It reports that just over 15% of Americans say they do not use any TV subscription services. That’s up 2.8% compared to data they collected in October 2022.  Now in 2023, more debut series have met their demise. Examples include FX’s long-awaited Octavia E. Butler adaptation, “Kindred” to Hulu’s star-studded meta-sitcom “Reboot” to “The Chair” starring Sandra Oh. Most recently, HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” reboot was cut, along with Netflix’s “Warrior Nun” and “First Kill” all of which have young, queer women at the heart of the story. 

I was a fan of the “Gossip Girl”  reboot myself. When it was  announced that it was canceled,  I was so  upset, because the story  was  just starting  to  get  really  interesting, and some of the characters I liked were starting to get more screen time, only for the show to be canceled. Now I will never know what could have been. These announcements have sparked fan outrage and pleas for other platforms to save the shows.

Cancelations are an inevitable outcome in the entertainment industry. Sometimes a show doesn’t land with the target audience, or it doesn’t bring in the viewership or the money the studio had hoped for. When this happens, the network has to make the tough calls. 

The pandemic also played a part in delayed production and increased cost of production post-pandemic. That reasoning can be justified.  Unfortunately, a number of shows won’t see another season after their first or second season, which seems to have become the norm in recent times. Fans wonder if they can trust these streaming services with their money. 

In my personal experience, I no  longer have a subscription to HBO Max since shows I have liked on there, like “Gossip Girl,” have been canceled or moved to another service that I still have a subscription to,  such as “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” which moved to Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV. I don’t feel obligated to give HBO Max more of my money based on these cuts.  If streaming services continue at this rate with their cuts and people continue to unsubscribe, will streaming itself survive? 

Not every show is going to be successful or have dedicated audiences, but some might stand out just enough to keep people coming back for more. What streaming services can do is start promoting the shows they already have and investing in the stories people care about. 

When deciding which shows  should get cut,  I think networks should analyze who their target audiences are, see what percentage of their viewers fall  into  those  categories  and proceed  with  proper   marketing  materials  if their budget   allows   them to.  

 In   my opinion,  it  gives  these shows a fair  shot at success   and  lets  their stories   live   another  day.   These  are stories  that  are    meant   to be told   and   need    to  be seen to their  true  end, not a cancelation. Otherwise, they  never  really get  to be real  stories  in  the  first  place, and  that’s  a  tragedy.  This way, fans  get  an  ending  they  can  get behind.  Creators   get  to  tell  their stories. The  network  gets  the praise,  trust  of  their  subscriber base  and,  of  course,  the  revenue, so streaming survives another day.