It’s not every day that a hit TV show gets canceled while it’s on the streaming ratings charts, but that’s exactly what happened with the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix series Biology.
On Wednesday, news broke that Netflix had dropped the ax on the sci-fi series less than a month after its release (and with just days left until Emmy voting). Biology It had a strong cast — Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clark Peters, Bill Pullman — and even powerful producers in Matt and Ross Duffer, the Upside Down Pictures team behind Netflix. Strange things. (The series was created by Jeffrey Addis and Will Matthews of Off Franklin Productions.)
Biology They also serve an overlooked demographic — especially for streaming — of older adults. (Biology It definitely was cocoon oscillations.)
But the strangest of all is: Biology It worked.
In his first four days… Biology It ranked second in the list of top 10 English-language TV shows on Netflix with 5.6 million views. In its first full week, it jumped to number one with 9.5 million views. The following week, it ranked fourth with 3.7 million views, and from June 8 to 14, Biology It received 2 million views, ranking eighth. It will be canceled on June 17, the day after Netflix shares its week 4 statistics.
Earlier today, Nielsen revealed its own streaming charts for Biology“The first week. It ranked second, behind only the other Netflix series enemy. (Nielsen’s live ratings are delayed by four weeks.)
Critics also loved the series: Biology It has a “certified fresh” rating of 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, and a “top critics” rating of 91 percent. (Okay, not all critics “liked” it: Hollywood ReporterPrivate Angie Han pointed out Biology As an “old aging cycle.” Strange thingsHowever, Hahn also called it “perfectly watchable.”) The audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes was 79 percent.
“In a seemingly perfect retirement community, a grieving newcomer’s brutal encounter inspires him to join a misfit crew of unlikely heroes who uncover a dark secret that proves their ‘golden years’ are more dangerous, and more wonderful, than anyone expects,” Biology He reads.
Biology It is named after “a picturesque retirement community that promises its residents the time of their lives,” the official synopsis states. “But for newcomer Sam Cooper (Molina), paradise feels like a prison. Everything changes when a terrifying nighttime encounter reveals that something monstrous haunts the manicured cul-de-sacs. After being dismissed by the authorities as just another deranged old man, Sam finds unlikely allies in a group of neighborhood misfits: a sharp-witted former journalist, a spiritual seeker, a cynical music impresario, and a brilliant doctor running out of options. These unlikely heroes must band together to uncover the dark truth at the heart of the Boroughs before their time runs out.
Well, the series ran out of time quickly. Why?
Two sources say THR That’s a problem with Biology The production budget was expensive. And this is true: Biology Someone said that one episode costs about $10 million. Another said the real number was “much higher.” Netflix directly compares viewership to cost when making pickup and cancellation decisions Biology You did a good job, it wasn’t quite like that Wednesday.
But the quiet part here is that the Duffer Brothers’ abandonment of Netflix for a four-year deal at Paramount appears to have rubbed Netflix’s top executives the wrong way, the first source said. THR. The source said the relationship there had been “difficult” since Matt and Ross “embarrassed” the streamer by leaving. A source close to Netflix denied the accuracy of this characterization and said this was merely a business decision.
Netflix’s current system is not the one that has been greenlit Biology — It was Peter Friedlander and Blair Vetter, both now at Amazon MGM Studios, who raved about the original. Another pair of former Netflix executives, Cindy Holland and Matt Thonnell, are excited to reunite with Matt and Ross at Paramount, where the Duffers’ deal includes (linear) TV, streaming and movies. Two days before the cancellation news leaked, Paramount dated the Duffers’ secret event film for November 3, 2028. But that’s not why news broke. Biology The cancellation came after 48 hours.
June 15 was also the deadline for Netflix to expand the options for the cast Biology. She refused to do so, effectively killing the series. Multiple sources say there will be no rebirth THR. Netflix is the studio and platform here, with 100% ownership of the series. It’s highly unlikely the streamer will sell the series to the competition, which includes Paramount – and now the Duffers.
A source close to the Duffers says the brothers still have a good relationship with Netflix and have multiple projects in development there.
