In March and April of this year, it seemed like not a day went by without Netflix canceling something.
Superhero drama Raising Dion has been canned (opens in a new tab), as has acclaimed horror file 81 (opens in a new tab), and the streaming giant's animation slate has been decimated, with Meghan Markle's developing affair among the victims. (opens in a new tab)
However, things have been quiet for the past few weeks, and Netflix-related news seems to focus instead on the platform's release of ads and its planned crackdown on password sharing. Now, though, he's back to undoing things.
Midnight Gospel was an adult animated show created by Adventure Time (opens in a new tab), lead actor Pendleton Ward, and comedian Duncan Trussell. The series followed an astronaut named Clancy Gilroy, who lives in a malfunctioning multiverse simulator and decides to leave the comfort of his home to interrogate living things on dying worlds.
Each being was voiced by a different guest, with comedian Pauly Shore and musician Bonnie Prince Billy among the guests.
The series debuted in April 2020 and garnered dozens of solid reviews, with a 91% rating on Rotten Tomatoes (opens in a new tab), but word had been hushed up for a second season, despite Trussell's vocal interest in doing more.
Trussell later confirmed the show's cancellation over the weekend in a tweet.
The Midnight Gospel has been canceled by Netflix. https://t.co/36X8Vhv5LbJune 3, 2022
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Trussell went on to express his gratitude to Netflix for taking a chance on the show to begin with, adding that, in his mind, "...there's still one more season to go, but the 'breakthrough' cube of sentient glass they keep in their vibrant catacombs 'No More ' And it's hard to argue with a cube."
Analysis: another one bites the dust
Netflix's belt-tightening isn't limited to animated projects, with layoffs (opens in a new tab), sequels to canceled movies, and big-name dramas, but animation seems to have been hit particularly hard.
This all goes back to the announcement that Netflix has lost 200.000 subscribers since the beginning of 2022 (opens in a new tab). This drop caused a €70 billion drop in the company's market value and was accompanied, at the time, by the news that Netflix had removed its animation slate.
Netflix's director of development and creative leadership for original animation Phil Rynda has been fired, along with many of his staff, and several projects have been scrapped.
Among the canceled animated projects were a high-profile adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Twits, a new series based on Jeff Smith's beloved Bone, Toil and Trouble comic book series, and Lauren Faust's Wings Of Fire, which was overseen by Ava. DuVernay of Selma.
Netflix still has quite a few anime projects in the works, with Big Mouth and Human Resources proving huge hits for the streamer, not to mention their huge anime slate (opens in a new tab), but a quick look at the list on Wikipedia (it will opens in a new tab) and you'll see "pending" next to some programs waiting for word on your whereabouts.
Sadly, Midnight Gospel won't be the last to go.