Netflix‘s psychological thriller series that became a global hit nearly had a completely different fate, but it was so good that, despite the show having been canceled after one season, it managed to come back for another four seasons. The rule of thumb in the streaming age is that pretty much every show is not safe. Follow that, and you will never be disappointed.
Many Netflix shows were canceled way too soon, and that rings true for other streaming services, networks, and even cable. That said, over the last decade, we have seen a huge influx of promising shows that did not make it past their first season. Looking at Netflix’s Original series, Dead Boy Detectives, I Am Not Okay With This, 1899, and more are of note.
The streaming service even committed the disappointing practice of reversing an announced renewal, axing the dystopian thriller The Society after initially renewing it for season 2. That said, not all is bad when it comes to Netflix’s approach to renewing shows. In fact, it was the streamer that saved a generational thriller series after another platform reversed its season 2 renewal.
01
Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?
✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.
02
The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?
✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.
03
In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?
✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.
✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1–2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3–4?
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1–2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3–4?
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1–2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3–4?
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1–2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3–4?
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1–2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3–4?
04
Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1–2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3–4?
04
You Season 5 Review: Joe Goldberg’s Story Comes Full Circle In A Slow-To-Start Yet Juicy Season That Ends On A Satisfying Note For The Series
You’s final season has enough reflection and twists to keep us engaged, even as I became frustrated with some of the characters’ actions.
Netflix then took that strong foundation, recognizing what it could lead to, and subsequently renewed it for four more seasons. In You, Penn Badgley’s performance as Joe Goldberg is simply magnetic, with the show being a unique thriller where audiences are taken inside the mind of a twisted serial killer who does not see himself as the villain, and thus viewers become conflicted about rooting for him or not. This fresh show with excellent twists deserved to go on for as long as it did, and had Netflix not savedYou, it would have been a tragic loss for thriller fans.
Netflix’s You Survived An Early Cancellation
Why Netflix’s You Going On To Have Five Seasons Was The Perfect Outcome
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