The OA canceled at Netflix; will season 3 happen elsewhere?
In a statement today, Netflix confirmed the news on the Zal Batmanglij – Brit Marling series with a statement via their head of originals Cindy Holland:
“We are incredibly proud of the 16 mesmerizing chapters of The OA, and are grateful to Brit and Zal for sharing their audacious vision and for realizing it through their incredible artistry … We look forward to working with them again in the future, in this and perhaps many other dimensions.”
The unfortunate news at this point is that it’s getting quite hard to follow all of the shows that Netflix is canceling with regularity. The OA joins the likes of Designated Survivor, She’s Gotta Have It, Santa Clarita Diet, and the entire Marvel universe as shows currently in the Netflix metaphorical paper-shredder. They will stick around on the streaming service moving forward for some time, but they’re not bringing them back for more seasons. (Netflix also canceled One Day at a Time, but it was saved by cable station Pop TV.)
With The OA, from the get-go Netflix took almost a minimalistic approach to its promotion. The first season intentionally premiered with almost no fanfare, and season 2 only had a tiny bit more. It was meant in part to preserve the show’s sense of imagination and mystery, but in retrospect, we do wonder to a certain degree if that is something that they would take back and change up. With there being SO much competition on Netflix these days, it’s hard to be that series that stands out amidst the competition.
The larger concern among Netflix users should be this: Whether or not they want to continue to be interested in new properties when so many of them get canceled. We understand that these decisions are made with finances and ratings in mind, but we almost wonder if it’s better to produce fewer shows with more publicity around them and longer seasons than a ton of shows that just get lost. It’s a hard environment out there for any show. Because of the streaming deals that shows like The OA sign with Netflix upon their arrival, it’s also hard to imagine them being saved. The only reason One Day at a Time pulled it off is because CBS is going to also air the new episodes after they first arrive on Pop. We, therefore, don’t expect a season 3 for The OA elsewhere.
What do you think about The OA getting canceled?
Do you want to see the series end up somewhere else? Be sure to share in the comments. (Photo: Netflix.)