Recently, the streaming service Amazon Prime Video announced the cancellation of the show My Lady Jane, about seven weeks since its first season release. The show, an alternative-world fantasy romance based on a novel by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton and Jodi Meadows, had won fans with its authentic and captivating storytelling.
The news of its discontinuation shocked the streaming subscribers. However, this is not the first time a good show has been canceled, and it probably won’t be the last. But why is it so difficult for new products to stay in streaming catalogs? Stay with me as I tell you some of the reasons why.
longevity of the narrative
One of the reasons for canceling a show is its programmed longevity. But what does this mean? Some shows are made without the intention of having a long run. This happens because the longer a series stays on, the more expensive it becomes. Therefore, there are two ways which a series canceled due to its longevity can go:
a) a simple ending is given – and most of the time it doesn’t please the public-, or b) the show ends without a closure. Either way, the shows in this later “category” are basically stories that don’t have a plot that can span multiple seasons.
Take two series as examples: Baby (2018-2020) and Bones (2005-2017). The first one, an Italian dramatic show, ended after its third season – for the writer and crew, the end was exactly how it needed to be, and it gave closure for the narrative; for the fans, not so much. But taking a narrative arc structure as parameter, the show did have a good finale, tying up all the loose ends built by the story.
As for Bones, a North American investigation show that lasted twelve seasons, the show had no more news to be shown, and the crew cost wasn’t worth it anymore. Older productions usually have a more consolidated public, and it’s rare for new consumers to watch them because of the amount of seasons, so streaming services prefer to invest on new productions that can bring more audience, or, in this case, subscribers. Furthermore, the cast and crew get an exponential increase in their salary every season renewed and, again, the costs simply become too expensive.
cast and crew disagreements
Who has never heard about controversies surrounding the behind-the-scenes of a production? Some of the most famous series have had their share of gossip, such as Glee, Grey’s Anatomy, and, more recently, Euphoria – which made fans afraid of a possible cancellation.
However, despite the media marketing that polemics can provide to a show, they can also be the motive for its cancellation, specially when the disagreements interfere in the production process, deadlines and costs.
Take Moonlighting (1985-1989) and Two And A Half Men (2003-2015), for example. Moonlighting became a huge success after its premiere in 1985, but it was canceled after 66 episodes. Rumors were that Bruce Willis had turned the set into a living nightmare by not getting on time for shootings and getting in constant fights with his cast mate, Cybill Shepard.
On the other hand, Two And A Half Men lasted way longer, accounting for a total of 12 seasons. But the show also had a cast disagreement that affected its renewal. Charlie Sheen, who played the main character Charlie Harper for 12 years, was fired after insulting the show crew on a live interview and skipping shootings after long nights of alcohol and drugs. Ashton Kutcher replaced his role instead as main lead, but the show had a drop in ratings, leading to its cancellation in 2015.
high production costs
One of the main and most decisive reasons for a show to be canceled is its production costs, specially when it is an original series. Is that old saying: “Rule no.1: Never lose money. Rule no.2: Never forget rule no.1.”
In audiovisual production -and truth be told, in every aspect of our lives- money is everything, and it is what decides if a production will happen or not, so it has to be handled wisely. In a world like ours where there are numerous options of streaming services and contents, companies put their budget on productions that will for sure bring benefits for them – benefits that will cover expenses and generate real profit. Bets are risky, and guaranteed consumption productions are solutions, specially when the content demand is so high.
Therefore, the equation is clear: if a show brings a high audience and resources for a streaming service, it will get more investments for its development; if not, thank you, next. That is why most of the shows are canceled due to cost-related issues and despite having a great audience, it may not be enough to cover expenses and continue investing in the story, that is also why some streamings – like Netflix– opted to include advertisements in their services, to lower costs. Therefore, logic goes beyond the audience.
low audience or negative reception
Lastly, another common reason for a show to be canceled is the low audience ratings or the negative critics from public and/or specialists, such as what we could see with the series Witches of East End (2013-2014) and, more recently, with The Idol (2023) and Shadow and Bone (2021-2023).
The first one was canceled after a decline in ratings during the second season; the second was canceled after controversies involving the show itself and its poor reception by the audience; and the third, because of low viewership, expensive production, and as a consequence of the Screen Actors Guild Strike.
what is the case for my lady jane
Despite My Lady Jane having conquered positive critics and reached a considerably great rank of audience, it wasn’t enough for Prime standards to extend the budget for renewals, especially because being an original series of fantastical romance with special effects it demands really high production costs – costs that are not worth it considering its audience level – business way of thinking.
However, for all of you people, ethian lovers, that got upset with the sad news, do not be discouraged, because there is a petition happening to renew the series, and it is growing every day, now with over 40 thousand signatures. Therefore, there is a high chance that the cancellation decision can be reversed, and the series could continue, as has occurred in other cases such as Brooklyn 99 (2013-2021) and Lucifer (2016-2021).
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The article above was edited by Isadora Mangueira.
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