Netflix executives have cut plans for its TV drama, Firefly Lane, which will now end after two seasons.
Although the show has not been officially confirmed for a third broadcast, the drama was expected to continue after its second season. The show racked up 1.300 billion minutes of viewing in its first five days alone, according to Nielsen's weekly look at the biggest shows on streaming services, which one would imagine would set the stage for a long-term problem.
Instead, the streaming service decided to end the show with season two, but a second season will arrive, Ozark and Stranger Things-style, in two parts. The season will consist of 16 episodes, with the first nine available to watch starting December 2, with the second batch of seven episodes airing in 2023.
Firefly Lane stars Scrubs' Sarah Chalke and former Grey's Anatomy focal point Katherine Heigl. Based on Kristin Hannah's novel of the same name, the show documents the 30+ year friendship between Heigl's Tully Hart and Chalke's Kate Mularkey. Friends since the age of 14, the couple have been through endless ups and downs, loves and losses.
Created by Maggie Friedman, whose credits include Dawson's Creek and Witches of East End, the show starred Ben Lawson, Beau Garrett, Ali Skovbye, Roan Curtis and Yael Yurman, with India de Beaufort, Greg Germann, Jolene Purdy and Ignacio Serricchio joining. to the cast. for the second season.
Analysis: a surprise decision from Netflix?
Netflix's most popular shows are big-budget affairs like Stranger Things, The Crown and Bridgerton, flagship productions pushing to attract new subscribers. The unsung heroes, on the other hand, are shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, and Grace and Frankie, comfort shows with modest budgets and loyal fans.
These shows return once a year, always bringing in a slightly larger audience than the last series, and for every €200 million miniseries, you need one or two of these series. You can't eat gourmet food every night, sometimes you just want a bowl of cereal.
This makes the ending of Firefly Lane even more surprising. The show had the same cozy feel as Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias, and while Chalke is recognizable for his roles in Scrubs and How I Met Your Mother, and Heigl is known for Knocked Up and 27 Dresses, they're not A-listers I would have sent. megasalaries.
To us, it felt like a show that could run and run. It wouldn't have the same fanfare as the Netflix tents, there wouldn't be a panel at Comic Con, no glowing presence at Tudum and no billboards, but it should have been a stable banker.
None of the reports of the show's demise hinted at behind-the-scenes problems, such as inflated budgets or script issues; it just seems like a change in strategy for Netflix, and it may surprise us.