When you're a fan of television shows, you become accustomed to the unfortunate downside of the business. Shows you love will inevitably be canceled before their time, sometimes on a cliffhanger, and the decisions made by networks and streamers will leave you puzzled. Well, the most recent decision Amazon made regarding the new drama series Étoile will have you scratching your head.
Étoile canceled after one season of double order
From Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, ballet drama series Étoile premiered on Prime Video on April 24, 2025. Amazon had ordered the drama straight to series with a two-season commitment. Following the first season's release, Amazon has decided to walk back on that two-season order and cancel Étoile after only one season.
Sadly, it's not the first time something like this has happened and it won't be the last. Things change on a dime in the television industry. A show a network expects to be a huge hit can quickly run out of gas or not have much gas to begin with. But it's still a frustrating precedent for a streamer to set to order two seasons of a show from a top creator and break that order after barely two months.
According to Deadline, the reasons behind Amazon's tough decision to cancel Étoile have to do with the cost of producing the series versus its modest performance on Prime Video. As the outlet points out, the newbie was vastly outperformed by The Wheel of Time, which was also just canceled, so go figure. Étoile was an expensive show to produce due to filming on location in both New York and Paris, making use of the cities' historic sites, and building its own ballet company.
Obviously, the series likely isn't anywhere near as expensive as a high-concept fantasy show like The Wheel of Time, but there are still financial figures and viewership markers shows have to hit that we're not privy to. That's the unfortunate reality of streaming television in 2025. If Étoile had a bit more buzz behind it, better ratings, better reception, it likely wouldn't have had its two-season pact broken.
Regardless of its reception or performance, it's an especially bitter pill to swallow that fans can't even trust a renewal. Those who watched Étoile on Prime Video, whether when it dropped in April or just getting around to it now, already had a second season to look forward to. Who would have ever thought that a two-season renewal was temporary and dependent on performance? That's not quite what most viewers assume when they hear a show has been renewed.
Beyond wavering trust from viewers, if a network or streamer can easily balk on a two-season order, that's an unfortunate place for writers and performers to create. Not even Amy Sherman-Palladino, the Emmy-winning creator of two of the biggest modern television shows, is immune from having the rug pulled out from her? And the second time for a ballet show, no less (RIP Bunheads).
Even though the first season ends on a cliffhanger, watch Étoile on Prime Video.