7 Netflix shows canceled way too soon, ranked

3. Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons

This is a bit of an iffy conclusion here, honestly. It seems like Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons could return more easily than other series, as host Raphael Rowe seems like he’d know how to make it happen.

However, it does appear that Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons has been canceled, or at least will never get out of hiatus. By no means is this a boring show, as Raphael truly does show up in some dangerous prisons.

In “Ukraine: The Prison in a War Zone,” he even interviews a notorious serial killer. Also, on the flipside, Rowe also showed us Halden Prison in Norway, which is the most humane maximum-security prison in the world. It doesn’t make sense that this show has low ratings, honestly. It’s definitely a letdown that this show likely won’t return for a 4th season.

2. Dark Tourist

David Farrier’s Dark Tourist is a fun tour of freaky tourist attractions on various continents. This includes tours involving the history of drug lord Pablo Escobar, nuclear tourism near the Fukushima nuclear disaster, a tour about Jeffrey Dahmer, people claiming to be vampires, Voodoo rituals, and the McKamey Manor haunted house (which is more like an extended torture session). That’s only a small part of what’s in store.

My personal favorite moment? When tour guide Yo seems more concerned about forest spirits (yūrei) in the Jukai “Suicide” Forest than any nuclear radiation around Fukushima. One almost has to be impressed by that level of belief.

Anyway, it’s a disappointment that Dark Tourist has not returned and, by all appearances, will not have a season 2. This may just be Netflix’s best show, and I feel confident saying that even without seeing so many other ones available.

1. Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return

This may be the most painful one, and it really begs the question: Does Netflix know a good thing when it has it? Mystery Science Theater 3000 is one of the most iconic, beloved cult shows of all time.

However, it keeps getting canceled every once in a while, then crawls back from the dead, then gets canceled again. It seems Netflix had an opportunity to finally buck that trend yet failed. Why wasn’t this show more of a success? Who knows? MST3K has a pretty large fanbase, so it’s hard to believe it couldn’t have lasted for more than 2 additional seasons over at Netflix.

In any case, there are signs that Mystery Science Theater 3000 will return because its creators and fans refuse to simply let it die. So, ultimately, maybe it just wasn’t meant to exist as a TV series like any other.

Maybe it’s something the fans will have to keep alive.  Couldn’t there even be a way to move past cancellation in the strict sense, such as always leaving the door open to further crowd-funding?

That’s it for now! Did we skip over any canceled Netflix shows? Tell us in the comments!