5 Netflix shows that will probably be canceled in 2025

Inevitably, fans will have to say goodbye to a few Netflix shows in 2025. It's the unfortunate reality of the TV industry. Shows fans love get canceled every year.

I shared a list of five Netflix shows that will probably be canceled in 2025, but there's good news. The first bit of good news is that, for some of the shows on the list, there's still time for fans to save some of these shows by getting viewership numbers up. There are always behind-the-scenes things that can get in the way, but for the most part, it comes down to if enough fans are watching to justify the budget and other costs for Netflix.

Looking at the bigger picture, there are a lot of Netflix shows that are probably safe. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and writers' and actors' strikes, there are a lot of big shows coming back in 2025. Some of those shows are final seasoned at Netflix, including Stranger Things, Squid Game, and possibly Outer Banks if it's ready to go by the end of the year. But, many of the others we're expecting to see in 2025 are renewed for new seasons, including Virgin River, The Diplomat, The Night Agent, Ginny and Georgia, and more!

More likely than not, we'll also see Netflix part ways with a few of the new shows coming next year. Obviously, we don't know which shows those will be yet, so we'll talk about those when the time comes.

So, which shows are in jeopardy of getting canceled in 2025? Let's get the list started with Sweet Magnolias.

Sweet Magnolias

Sweet Magnolias is unfortunately the first show up on the list of Netflix shows in danger of getting canceled in 2025. The series premiered on Netflix in May 2020. Since then, we've seen three seasons of the series, but the third season premiered in July 2023. And, we haven't seen season 4 yet, although it's on the list of shows to expect in 2025.

Sweet Magnolias is in a tough spot despite having a great cast led by JoAnna Garcia Swisher. While there are some Netflix shows recently that have lasted more than four seasons, the number still isn't that high. It's very challenging to get picked up for more than four seasons on Netflix. We've seen so many shows end after the fourth season (and even more shows that end way before that on Netflix). So, it really comes down to the show getting a good viewership turnout when season 4 hits Netflix.

Overall, Sweet Magnolias has not been final-seasoned at Netflix, so there's definitely a chance it could be renewed for season 5. It would make sense to give this show a proper ending, but maybe that's already happened. We'll find out soon!

The Recruit

The Recruit seems like a bad pick for a Netflix show to be canceled after it performed well after the first season was released in December 2022. But, it's another one of those Netflix shows that might have been forgotten about. It's been a very long time since the first season was released. We haven't seen anything about The Recruit season 2 lately, other than the fact that we know it's done filming and should be arriving in 2025.

There have been a lot of spy and political thriller shows on Netflix since The Recruit premiered at the end of 2022. Is The Recruit as popular as The Night Agent or The Diplomat? Is it as fun as FUBAR? Those are some of the questions I have about The Recruit. It's not that I think its second season will be bad or anything like that. It's just more about the fatigue from Netflix fans. Will anyone care that The Recruit is back? If so, then it's definitely coming back for season 3. If not, it's going to be canceled.

And, that's the hard thing about Netflix sometimes. It's not necessarily about quality as much as it's about the fan response to the final product. Maybe I'm wrong and the series gets renewed for season 3, no problem. We'll just have to wait and see!

The Sandman

The Sandman is another series that is probably in trouble in 2025. The first season of the series based on Neil Gaiman's comic series of the same name premiered in the summer of 2022. Overall, I expected the fantasy series to be a lot more popular than it was. Yes, the series topped the Netflix Top 10 for a short time, and it was fairly well received. According to reports, The Sandman was the eighth biggest Netflix show of 2022. But, did it do enough to get renewed for season 2?

It was questionable at the time, and it's still not totally clear what the plan is for the next season. It seems like such a valuable IP with a built-in fanbase, a great creative team, and a killer cast. The problem is that fantasy shows typically struggle to reach the numbers on Netflix that they need to be renewed for a long run. The Witcher is probably the only example of a fantasy series that will last more than three seasons on Netflix for quite some time. So, The Sandman appears to be in a little bit of trouble heading into season 2 in 2025.

It really comes down to the overall plan for The Sandman. Will season 2 achieve similar numbers as the first season? If so, it might be okay! If not, the series might struggle to get a foothold and secure the season 3 renewal.

The Watcher

The Watcher is technically renewed for season 2, but there's absolutely no chance that we'll see season 2 on Netflix in 2025. In fact, it's probably more likely that we'll never see this show again.

The Watcher premiered on Netflix in the fall of 2022, and it was a major hit for Netflix. Despite the series not really needing a second season, it was renewed for season 2. Since then, there's been virtually no updates or signs The Watcher season 2 will actually happen. Naomi Watts, who starred in the first season, mentioned to Entertainment Weekly in the fall of 2024 that she hasn't heard any updates on season 2.

Things are not looking good at all for The Watcher season 2! I would not be surprised at all if we hear next year that The Watcher is canceled on Netflix.

XO, Kitty

XO, Kitty is the spinoff of the To All The Boys I Loved Before movies. The series following Lara Jean's sister, Kitty (Anna Cathcart), premiered on Netflix in May 2023. It's been a long wait for XO, Kitty season 2, which premieres on Jan. 16, 2025.

This series could definitely be renewed for season 3, and I wouldn't be surprised. Based on the viewership totals for season 1, it totaled more than 165 million hours viewed in its first few weeks on the streaming service. It's the reason I included it last on the list! It's the one I'm least sure about.

For me, when a series like this has a super low wait, I always worry about whether or not the series is able to capture that attention again. If it can't, it's going to be hard for XO, Kitty to be renewed for season 3.

For now, we'll just have to wait and see what happens! I would love, love, love to be wrong about this one!