Cancel culture is real at Netflix. The streamer has a reputation for being quick to terminate promising but underperforming shows, with original series like The Society, intriguing horror stories like Archive 81, and even high-profile adaptations like Cowboy Bebop among its massive “one-season wonders” list. Not even a cliffhanger is enough to save you; 1899 ended by showing the 125-year-old ship was actually an elaborate simulation, but we’ll never know where the story was going from there.
The latest addition to this motley crew is particularly disappointing. According to Variety, the sprawling modern mythological adaptation Kaos has been canceled not even six weeks after it premiered on Netflix. The series, which starred Jeff Goldblum as Zeus as he became paranoid about the fall of the gods, apparently resonated with viewers, given that it stayed in the top 10 for four weeks. But even that wasn’t enough to secure a second season.
This update comes after Kaos star Aurora Perrineau, who played Eurydice, posted a now-deleted eulogy for the series on Instagram. That fueled speculation about the cancellation, and this report confirms it. It certainly wasn’t the plan the creators had envisioned, as the series ended just as the clash between gods and mortals was truly starting.
“My dream was three seasons,” showrunner Charlie Covell told Cosmopolitan UK. “I've got many ideas and a strong sense of what I'd want to do with it,” they said. However, they also suggested that they knew a cancellation was feasible, and planned Season 1 accordingly. “I also didn't want to do an ending that was a total cliffhanger,” they said. “I hope that it feels satisfying as a season one in its own right, and there's always hope for the more.”
That hope now looks dim, as the streamer has never reversed a cancellation. Another network or platform could pick up and continue the series, but that’s an increasingly rare option. We can only hope that risky option is taken anyway, as Kaos was a diverse, creative, and fun take on classic Greek myths. It’s a shame we won’t see the entire three-season plan, but one season is better than none. That may not be much comfort to fans, but when Netflix brings out its chopping block, we cling to what we have.
