"Sense8" has been eighty-sixed. The Netflix series, which developed a cult following after two seasons, will not be renewed for a third installment. The news comes as the streaming service begins to reevaluate their original programming content. It also comes a week after another show was canceled by Netflix which had gained a different kind of following and had different issues than the latest show to hit the chopping block.
The end of 'Sense8'
As relayed by The Hollywood Reporter, Netflix vice president of original content Cindy Holland confirmed the end of "Sense8" on Thursday.
She commended the show for its unique and diverse international cast and crew and thanked The Wachowskis for creating the show, which debuted in 2015. The show actually saw its rating on Rotten Tomatoes soar from 67% to 86% from Season 1 to Season 2 and negotiations with the cast had commenced for a third season before the cancellation.
"Sense8" was about eight strangers who discovered they were telepathically linked to one another. The show was made up of an ensemble cast, with no true star emerging from the pack. The show was nominated for one Emmy Award - "Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music" - and didn't really crack the mainstream. Some of the actors on the show started a Twitter hashtag to convince Netflix to renew the series, but that effort proved to be in vain.
Another Netflix series canned
"Sense8" isn't the first Netflix series to meet its end in the past week. "The Get Down," a brainchild of Baz Luhrmann, was canceled after just one season. That show, however, was reportedly plagued by extreme use of the budget, which didn't translate well to advertising or subscription numbers.
Nevertheless, Netflix canceling one of their original programs is a rare and therefore meaningful piece of news.
Among other Netflix shows that have been canceled are "Marco Polo," "Hemlock Grove," "Lilyhammer," and "Bloodline." CEO Reed Hastings stated that there should be a higher rate of cancellation to CNBC at the Code Conference to fall in line with other networks and that the original content programming team needs to take more risks.
In the eyes of many of its fans, "Sense8" was a risk that worked. Netflix didn't see it that way, however, so unless the show is picked up by a different network or service - which did happen with "Longmire" - two seasons of the show will have been all they get.
