Netflix Officially Cancels Another Popular Live-Action Remake
Netflix has canceled Fate: The Winx Saga, after two successful seasons, shocking fans of the young adult series.
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Netflix has cancelled Fate: The Winx Saga, the live-action adaptation of the popular Nickelodeon animated series, after two seasons. Showrunner Brian J. Young made the announcement earlier today on his Instagram account, which came as a shock to fans of the series, which had made it one of the most-watched series on the streaming service, according to Deadline. The series followed Bloom Peters (Abigail Cowen), a young girl who discovers she isn’t human, but actually a fairy, leading her to attend a special boarding school in a realm called the “Otherworld,” where she learns to master her magical powers.
“This is not fun news to share, but Netflix decided not to move forward with season three of Fate: The Winx Saga,” Young wrote. “This is especially tough because I know how many of you loved this season…It’s been an amazing four years. Hopefully we’ll see each other again in the future.”
The six-episode first season premiered on Netflix in January of 2021 to good reviews from viewers and fans, but critics blasted it as flat and uninspired. Nevertheless, a second season with seven episodes was ordered, which premiered in September of this year. It managed a mere 40% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
The second season focused on Bloom and four other fairies at the Otherworld school Alfea College, who must deal with a new threat when fairies begin disappearing. Unlike the animated Nickelodeon series, which spawned a number of specials and spinoffs, the live-action adaptation was a darker, young adult take that featured strong violence, adult themes, and language. The show proved to be so popular, Netflix even added an aftershow, for fans to discuss the series.
With the release of the second season, the show became one of the most popular series on Netflix, racking up 49 million viewing hours in just the first month of release, which made Fate: The Winx Saga the most popular show on the streaming service in 76 countries between September and October 2022. Even so, Netflix pulled the plug on future seasons, to the shock of many, as it earned a viewer rating of 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In addition to Cowen (who also stars in Netflix’s The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina and Stranger Things), Fate: The Winx Saga also stars Hannah van der Westhuysen (Netflix’s The Sandman) as Stella, Precious Mustapha (The Power) as Aisha, Eliot Salt (Intelligence) as Terra Harvey, and Elisha Applebaum as Musa.
The series also stars Eve Best as Farah Dowling, who recently joined the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen.
The animated series the Netflix series is based on, Winx Club, aired for eight season and 215 episodes on Nickelodeon, and started as an Italian production from creator Iginio Straffi. It starred Molly C. Quinn (Castle), Keke Palmer (NOPE), and Morgan Decker, who provided voices.
Showrunner and executive producer Brian Young is best know for his work on The WB’s The Vampire Diaries, where he served as co-executive producer.
