"Well... this one hurts," read the Instagram post on Aurora Perrineau's account – the actress who plays Riddy in the Netflix original, Kaos. It appears that Netflix's 'cancel curse' is in full swing yet again – but this one's enough to incite the wrath of the gods.
When quizzed by an Instagram follower whether this means Kaos has been cancelled, Aurora responded: "Sadly, yes." While these now-deleted posts are no longer public – which does leave a lingering question as to whether the show is truly gone – the What's On Netflix site, which first reported on the cancellation, does have convincing screengrabs.
Shows that have been well-reviewed – The Guardian gave Kaos a full 5-stars, while the fan response on Rotten Tomatoes awards the show a respectable 83% – haven't been guaranteed a season refresh, of course, with plenty of the best streaming services calling it quits early doors. Time Bandits on Apple TV+ is one such recent example.
Kaos, however, feels particularly sore. Fans are, understandably, reeling from the allegations: "PLEASE SAVE THIS SHOW AT ALL COSTS," states one in the comments to the original post. I think the shouty caps nature says it all – in Goldblum's Zeus style, too. Another bluntly states: "I guess I’ll finally be cancelling Netflix."
So why can a show that's been so critically well-received? Well, the numbers do a lot of the talking for the bean-counters and, frankly, Kaos didn't reach as many viewers' eyeballs for as many hours as some of Netflix's other higher-flying (but lower-calibre) shows. Kaos' quirky, adult nature might be at odds with the easy-watching brigade, too.
There had been hints though: back at the end of August, plenty of reports suggested a cancellation could be on the cards when Netflix changed Kaos from a 'Season 1' status into a 'limited original series'. Usually commissioning for a future season will happen around episode 3 in a season's run – for Kaos it was around then that its official status changed.
While there's plenty more to watch on Netflix – check out the 5 Best Movies & Shows This October – it's the really quirky, unusual and frankly unabashed shows like Kaos that give Netflix that additional edge. Myself, and clearly many other fans alike, want more of this type of entertainment.
So if the Netflix gods would be so obliged to listen to our collective tongues (still in our mouths, thankfully), how about Kaos gets put back for season 2 commission consideration instead of being assigned to The Underworld?