Blockbuster canceled at Netflix; no season 2 coming
From the very beginning, it was laughable that the streaming service picked up a comedy set at the last iteration of the one-time pop-culture institution. Blockbuster Video became a dinosaur thanks to streaming and the stores shut down left and right. The whole appeal of the series (which starred Randall Park and Melissa Fumero) was to capitalize on nostalgia and offer people a show that on paper, would be easily accessible and a lot of fun.
However, nostalgia doesn’t always turn into people watching a full-length show. Per a report from Deadline, Blockbuster never cracked Netflix’s top ten and by virtue of that, it’s easy to see it didn’t meet whatever performance thresholds that the streaming service wanted. It also was met with some mixed reviews, with some noting that its charming premise and good cast never quite found their comedic groove.
Here is the unfortunate reality with a show like this in 2022 — it really doesn’t get time. When we think back to great comedies of the past, you can argue that Seinfeld, Parks and Recreation, The Office, Community, and 30 Rock all had their fair share of problems in their first seasons. They got better because their network (mostly NBC in this case) all believed in them and gave them ample time to grow and develop. Netflix as a company doesn’t seem anywhere near as interested in giving their projects that kind of time, especially when it can jump over to a number of other projects.
So while we would never rule out Blockbuster as a series ending up somewhere else, it just feels doubtful. More than likely, the memories of the video store will live on in our mind as opposed to on a streaming service.
Are you even remotely surprised that Blockbuster has been canceled at Netflix after one season?
Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do just that, remember to come back for some other updates.
(Photo: Netflix.)