Many popular and big-budget television series have experienced sudden and shock cancellations by broadcasters and streaming platforms over the last year.
Among them is one of the most recent cancellations, that of the Disney+ streamer’s sequel series Willow, which reported Warwick Davis as the protagonist of the classic 1988 fantasy film.
How are these cancellations affecting the general public?
According to Variety, this wave of cancellations has had a major impact on the public, as revealed by a survey conducted by YouGov. According to the findings, audiences are now more inclined to wait for the end of a season or even an entire series before watching it, lest it be canceled with an open ending. The 46% of viewers Americans said they prefer to wait for the series to end before starting it, with the highest percentage of viewers in the 18-34 age group.
Cancellations have mushroomed recently in both streaming and network television. For example, after The CW went on the market in early 2022 and was eventually taken over by Nexstar, most of its programming was either axed or the following season became its last, including popular shows like Riverdale and several Arrowverse series, including The Flash e DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
The landscape within the streaming platforms has not fared better recently, especially following the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery. This rocked HBO Max, leading to the film’s cancellation Batgirl of DC in favor of a tax credit and the cancellation of several shows, the silent removal from service or both, like the hit sci-fi drama Westworld. Still, most streaming services have at least one high-profile cancellation, including Vampire Academy at Peacocks, 1899, Uncoupled e Fate: The Winx Saga of the Netflix platform, which was the one that made the most talk about cancellations in the last year.
This massive wave of TV cancellations is concerning, as even shows that have received a renewal notice, such as the anthology series, are being canceled. Soulmates of the AMC. With the shaky production landscape wreaking havoc on viewers, fewer shows will have strong audience followings while they’re on the air, which likely means even more shows will end up being cancelled. It’s a vicious cycle that could take the streaming era on an even bumpier ride in the coming years.
