'The TV streaming model is broken'

KAOS has been cancelled by Netflix after one season, joining the likes of My Lady Jane, Dead Boy Detectives and The Acolyte in the long line of shows cut short before they've been given time to flourish.

Fans immediately began lamenting the decision, and it shows an ongoing, and frankly worrying, trend in the entertainment industry. The modern retelling of Greek mythology, much like Prime Video's fantasy reimagining of the life of the Nine Days Queen, garnered positive reviews and huge fan support during its first five weeks but it apparently wasn't enough.

Read more: 'I'm a trans actor in Netflix's KAOS but I didn't expect to play a romantic lead'

Its unceremonious cancellation shows how streaming has completely changed the game, and suggests that —for TV executives at least— if something isn't an instant hit then it doesn't deserve the chance to continue.

TV used to work that way, shows were allowed to grow an audience over time. A prime example is the success of Schitt's Creek, the Canadian sitcom created by Dan and Eugene Levy, the series was a slow-burn and only became a big hit in its later seasons at which point it won multiple Emmys.

Schitt's Creek began as a cult hit and became the beloved series it is now thanks to word-of-mouth fan support, but mostly —and this is what streamers like Prime Video and Netflix can learn— because it was given the chance to develop and grow beyond its initial season.

In fact, it's thanks to Netflix making the series available on its platform from season 3 that its audience grew exponentially, but it wouldn't have even got that far had Canada's CBC Television not given the show a chance first.

There's other now iconic shows like Succession and Industry, both of which grew audiences over time before they became regarded as exceptional TV. Breaking Bad is another show that only became a big hit after several seasons, and it is widely seen as one of the best shows ever made.

However, more and more nowadays it simply isn't the case that a show will be given a chance, and with dozens of platforms demanding viewers' attention it's hard for some shows to break through as quickly as others.

It seems TV executives believe that if it's not the next Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Emily in Paris, or The Boys it doesn't deserve a renewal. The only show to easily avoid this trend is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which was given a five-season commitment from Prime Video before it was even released.

But there's also another factor: certain shows aren't given as much of a push as others. My Lady Jane, for example, was binge dropped on Prime Video with little fanfare, certainly not the kind dedicated to the platform's shows like The Boys or Clarkson's Farm, at least.

KAOS, too, wasn't pushed out nearly as much as other titles on the platform, this reliance on word of mouth makes it a lot harder for shows to reach viewers quickly. It's a simple fact that some shows need time to find its audience, and the current streaming model doesn't allow for that.

There are few exceptions to this, Apple TV+ remains one of the few streamers to still regularly renew shows — though, even then, it has begun to cancel some of its more pricey series that don't deliver a significant return.

What's worrying about all these cancellations is what connects them — most feature queer themes or are made by those from the LGBTQIA+ community, they also are often female-led shows and/or feature BIPOC actors. That there are so many shows with this level of representation being cancelled may make viewers come to believe something entirely more frightening: that their stories aren't worth being told, when they most certainly are.

Cancellations of Dead Boy Detectives, The Acolyte and My Lady Jane have prompted significant backlash, with fans rallying to try and save them by getting another platform to pick it up. Fan campaigns have been launched for all three shows, following in the wake of Shadow and Bone which was cancelled in 2023 after two seasons.

Read more: 'Netflix made a grave mistake cancelling Dead Boy Detectives'

When KAOS was cancelled many people shared their sadness over a creative, fresh show being dropped so soon after its release, the same reaction emerged after the cancellation of My Lady Jane where others remarked how they'd only just started watching and it was a shame to not allow more time for the show to find its audience.

There were also others who remarked that the cancellation was just another reason they stopped dedicating their time to new shows, because it's become too hard to invest in a new show when it has become so commonplace for them to be cancelled after one season.

This is the other side of the coin to the new streaming model — viewers are less inclined to watch something new because there's a high probability it will get cancelled.

It's a vicious cycle, really. A new show is made by a streaming platform, and regardless of how creative it is or how many people enjoy it if it isn't a huge hit it is cancelled, meaning fewer people want to spent their time watching new TV shows, resulting in more shows being cancelled, and so on.

This isn't a sustainable way to make television, not only does it squander creative potential it also could lead to streamers churning out the same old thing because they know it'll make money.

There is one silver lining to all this, perhaps viewers will return to linear TV because it is increasingly clear that it's only channels like FX, AMC, BBC, and ITV that can be relied upon to support a series and renew them for more than one season. The old system worked, the wheel was never broken but streamers like Netflix have tried to change it anyway and, it seems, they were wrong to do so.

Audiences deserve better than that, and shows like KAOS, My Lady Jane, and The Acolyte certainly deserved more than just one season — if only they had been given the opportunity.

KAOS and Dead Boy Detectives are available on Netflix, My Lady Jane is out now on Prime Video, and The Acolyte is on Disney+.