Netflix has produced some of the biggest and most globally popular original series in the streaming era. Stranger Things, Wednesday, Squid Game, Bridgerton, and Adolescence are just a few of the Netflix original series that have taken over pop culture and the world in a big way. But as we know all too well, that's not always the case with Netflix shows.
Over the years, Netflix has become known for canceling a lot of its original series after only one or two seasons (though the streamer has gotten a lot better about that lately). In the past decade, there have been countless Netflix shows that were canceled and resulted in immediate fan campaigns and petitions and social media posts. However, some shows were downright flops.
Not every Netflix show can be a Stranger Things. Some shows are too expensive to produce, strike out with critics and audiences, and don't attract enough of a viewership. Some simply are underdogs that unfortunately didn't have the proper promotion. No matter the reason, these shows weren't successful. We're taking a look at five Netflix shows that flopped and why!
Marco Polo
From creator John Fusco, the historical adventure drama series Marco Polo premiered on Netflix back in December 2014 and was canceled after only two seasons in December 2016. The show premiered in the early days of Netflix creating, producing, and distributing original content. They had high hopes for a lot of their shows, but Marco Polo didn't live up to expectations.
The series was critically panned upon arrival, topping out with a 33% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but that's hardly what caused Marco Polo to flop. Shows can come back from bad ratings. But they can't come back from losing their parent company hundreds of millions of dollars. Marco Polo's exorbitant budget, said to be around $200 million, resulted in a loss of the same figure for Netflix.
Even though there were definitely fans who enjoyed the show and the historical story it was telling, there's no way around the fact that Marco Polo was too expensive and not watched nearly enough to make up for its massive budget. Still, the show was an early indicator of Netflix's ambition and the hits that were to come. Both seasons of this unfortunate flop are still available to watch on Netflix.
Girls5eva
As an outspoken Girls5eva champion, it's painful to have to include the devastatingly underrated comedy series on this list. However, you have to call a spade a spade: Girls5eva flopped on Netflix. The series was moved from its former home of Peacock to Netflix after two seasons. Both of those seasons were added to Netflix alongside a new and exclusive third season.
Unfortunately, Netflix swooping in for the save wasn't a slam-dunk this time. The literally underrated show remained so on its new home with a much wider global reach. Girls5eva didn't even make an appearance on the daily top 10 most popular shows in the United States. It barely moved the needle globally either! Not going to lie, it's one of the greatest mysteries of our time.
The series from creator Meredith Scardino and executive producer Tina Fey wound up becoming a flop even though it didn't deserve to be at all. Girls5eva was one of the funniest, smartest, and most fearless shows on TV, but its streamers didn't promote the series to the right audience (or at all). Many mistakes were made (none with the actual show!) that now leave its legacy unfinished.
Space Force
Because it was co-created by Greg Daniels and Steven Carell, the masterminds behind what made The Office an enduring classic, Space Force had nearly impossible expectations... and it didn't particularly hit those. The comedy series, which poked fun at the political climate at the time and the creation of the United States Space Force. Sadly, the show lost its momentum.
Space Force premiered in May 2020 amid the pandemic, which boosted a lot of streaming shows to success. Some were able to sustain that success, while others were not whether due to timing or just quality control. The comedy series didn't return for its second until February 2022, and by that point, no one was really interested in what the show was serving up. The moment had passed.
It's a real shame that Space Force flopped. In another life, a comedy series from Greg Daniels that stars Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, and Lisa Kudrow, among many other talented cast members, would still be on the air today. But in the end, the series was an unfortunate disappointment that didn't live up to its potential in more ways than one.
Cowboy Bebop
Speaking of not living up to its potential, the Netflix live-action adaptation of the anime television series and movie, Cowboy Bebop premiered in November 2021 to a ton of hype from fans. Well, let's just say the series didn't live up to the hype and was canceled less than one month after release. Obviously, there were fans that were outraged at Netflix for not giving the show a chance.
It's true that Cowboy Bebop didn't have the opportunity to gain momentum with viewers since its cancellation came mere weeks after its debut. Talk about taking the wind out our sails! But the show wasn't well-received by critics, earning a 46% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and getting ripped apart for various aspects of its presentation of the source material.
Again, it's unfortunate that anything that fans are excited about ends up flopping. We want to see things people care about succeed, not get torn down or have behind-the-scenes friction. Now all we can wonder is what could have been if things were different, but more than likely, all these years after its cancellation, many people have forgotten about Netflix's Cowboy Bebop.
God's Favorite Idiot
Last on this list but certainly not the last Netflix flop, you probably don't remember this one — and for good reason. Even its star has clearly forgotten about it! In June 2022, Netflix premiered the comedy series God's Favorite Idiot starring Academy Award nominee Melissa McCarthy and created and written by her husband Ben Falcone. But it wasn't up to their standard.
The series was panned by critics and really don't make much of an impact with audiences either. For a show starring one of the biggest names in comedy, you'd think more people would watch. For a show featuring a Gilmore Girls reunion (Yanic Truesdale also starred), you'd think more people would watch. But the series was woefully destined to flop... and that it did.
God's Favorite Idiot was supposed to have eight more episodes filmed and released, since Netflix's initial order was for 16 episodes. Following the release of those eight episodes in 2022, the series has never been spoken of again. Is anyone really waiting around to see the second part of this show? McCarthy has moved on from this forgettable mark in her incredible career and so have we.