Netflix Cancels Another Fantasy Comedy After Season 1
Despite premiering less than two months ago, Netflix has canceled Kaos, the Jeff Goldblum-led fantasy comedy series that took a cynical look at Greek mythology.
Netflix’s Kaos becomes the latest in the long list of one-season cancellations by the streaming giant, joining Dead Boy Detectives and The Get Down as shows that received a majority of positive critical reviews yet couldn’t quite avoid getting the premature ax.
Kaos Canceled
Kaos was developed for Netflix by Charlie Covell, who wrote the teleplay adaptation for The End of the F***ing World, a Channel 4 original series that was later picked up by Netflix.
Following the modest success of The End of the F***ing World, Netflix announced in 2018 that it would pick up a new series created by Covell.
After six years of development, Kaos premiered on Netflix on August 29, quickly garnering a decent amount of initial buzz, thanks in part to the star power of Goldblum.
The fantasy comedy series appeared on the Netflix Top 10 in each of its first four weeks on the streaming platform, cracking the Top Three at the start of September.
Numbers Not Good Enough
In its first month, Kaos raked in just 14.9 million views, which is calculated by Netflix as total viewing time divided by running time.
Even though 14.9 million views might sound like a decent amount, Kaos struggled to meet the high standard set by other Netflix original series that managed to reach 15 million views in just days, not weeks.
By comparison, the massively popular series Wednesday hauled in a mind-boggling 252 million views in its first three months, earning its place as the most-viewed Netflix series in its history.
Started Great, But Fizzled
Despite the fact that Kaos barely had time to stretch its baby legs and even make it to the three-month mark, Netflix saw the writing on the wall, cutting its losses in a blink of an eye.
With a “Certified Fresh” rating of 76% on Rotten Tomatoes, Kaos wasn’t quite critically acclaimed, but the show had earned praise from critics for its sharp wit and clever storytelling, making it a worthwhile and intriguing watch.
However, many critics agreed that while Netflix’s Kaos premiere episode showcased the stellar heights that it was capable of reaching, the middle episodes lacked the punch needed to make it a special series, instead playing it safe at times.
Comedic Spin On Greek Mythology
While the series was never marketed as the next big showstopper for Netflix, Kaos appeared to be the streaming platform’s answer to Amazon Prime Video’s series Good Omens. The latter had enjoyed a successful run before being put on a temporary hiatus following the Neil Gaiman allegations.
Netflix’s Kaos aimed to put a modern-day and comedic spin on Greek mythology, telling the story of Zeus (Goldblum), who chains fellow god Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) to a cliff as punishment for attempting to interfere with Zeus’ reign over mankind.
In an attempt to overthrow Zeus and gain control of mankind for himself, Prometheus enlists the help of three humans: Ariadne (Leila Farzad), Caeneus (Misia Butler), and Eurydice (Aurora Perrineau).
A Sad Goodbye
In a heartfelt Instagram post, star Perrineau penned a goodbye to Netflix’s Kaos and shared her sadness with fans of the show.
“Well… this one hurts. I find explaining how I’m feeling to be really difficult, but I’ll try,” Perrineau wrote in her post.
“Everyone was brilliant and uniquely themselves. Every performance surprised and excited me. I can’t believe I got to do this with all of you. We made something weird, dark, hilarious, deranged and absolutely tragic – something entirely human. THIS is a feeling I plan to take with me.”
Source: Variety
