Netflix just cancelled another big original series

Netflix has developed a reputation for being fairly trigger happy when it comes to cancelling TV shows, and it seems the streamer has no intention of shaking that rep in 2022. After announcing a pair of cancellations last month, the next original series on the chopping block has just been confirmed. 

Science-fiction series Another Life won’t be getting another shot at finding a bigger audience, the show is officially done and dusted after two seasons. The news was confirmed via series star Katee Sackhoff on Twitter, where she thanked everyone who watched the show and stated: “I wish we could do more seasons but sadly it’s just not in the cards.” 

Update: Star Trek: The Next Generation is being beamed up and away from Netflix this April. 

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The high-concept show followed astronaut Niko Breckinridge (Sackhoff) as she led a daring crew on a quest across the cosmos in order to explore the genesis of an alien artefact that was discovered on Earth. The series also starred Justin Chatwin, Samuel Anderson and Elizabeth Faith Ludlow. It was created by Aaron Martin, who is also the showrunner of anthology horror series Slasher which was just renewed for its fifth season earlier this month. 

When it initially premiered the show enjoyed a fairly strong marketing push and as an effects heavy sci-fi series presumably represents a significant financial investment for Netflix. It's apparent failure to gain much traction also comes despite featuring several high-profiles actors in the cast. Sackhoff herself is a sci-fi veteran having previously starred in Battlestar Galactica and voiced a character in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels.

Even with all these factors in its favor, Another Life finishes its run with 20 episodes across two seasons, and a less than stellar critical reception. On Rotten Tomatoes the show’s first season gained a pretty woeful score of just 6%, although the audience rating is much stronger with a respectful 69%. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear this solid audience reaction was enough to convince Netflix to continue the series any further. 

The odds of Another Life returning have looked bleak for a while now. Netflix was pretty much silent on the show's performance when season two debuted last October, which is never a good sign. 

Netflix loves to shout about its hits but is understandably less vocal about show’s that underperform. Sackhoff joked on social media that Netflix never lets shows reach a third season in December, a barb that seems rather pointed now. 

Another one bites the dust

Another Life isn’t the first Netflix original show to bite the dust in 2022, and it almost certainly won't be the last either. Netflix is notorious for being ruthless when it comes to cancelling shows that aren’t generating significant subscriber interest. 

This is perhaps an understandable consequence of Netflix producing so much content every single year, but it's still a frustration that Netflix subscribers need to navigate. Our advice: never get too attached to a Netflix original series. 

Even so, we still rank Netflix as one of the best streaming services out there, and to be brutally honest the number of people likely disappointed by the cancellation of Another Life will be small. However, it’s never nice to see a show axed, especially when the creatives clearly had more stories to tell. 

Netflix fans with a penchant for science fiction can at least comfort themselves with the confirmation that Stranger Things season 4 will premiere this Spring. The series will be split into two parts, Volume 1 will premier May 27 and Volume 2 will follow shortly after on July 1.  

In other Netflix news, Netflix's Marvel shows will first land on Disney Plus in Canada, while  the wait for Better Call Saul season 5 on Netflix is getting annoying. Looking for something else to watch? We've got all the details on how to watch Snowfall season 5 online.