Why Netflix Canceled Steve Carell's Space Force

Who remembers "Space Force?" You know, the Netflix workplace comedy that reunited Greg Daniels and Steve Carrell, the creator and actor duo who treated fans to so many great episodes of "The Office" back in the day? When the series was first announced, it seemed like a bona fide hit in the making. "The Office" was the most streamed show of 2020, so a new workplace comedy from its key alumni was hotly anticipated. "Space Force" was also topical when it arrived in 2020, as the United States government had announced the military program that inspired its creation one year earlier.

"Space Force" follows a group of fictional people who are tasked with getting the aforementioned military project off the ground. Their goal? To get people on the moon by 2024. Overseeing the program is Air Force Lieutenant General Mark Laird (Carell), who uproots his family to Colorado to take the job. However, his teenage daughter, Erin (Diana Silvers), hates their new home, and her mother being in prison doesn't help matters. Mark's home life isn't the only mess he has to deal with, either, as the Space Force project is underfunded, disorganized, and just a general jumble.

It's a fun premise that had lots of potential, but let's just say that the workplace comedy failed to replicate the success of "The Office." Netflix canceled "Space Force" after two seasons, and it now resides in the streaming service's vast library of canned original properties, waiting to be rediscovered. Still, what prompted the streamer to close down its own "Space Force" while the real-life governmental program continued to be funded?

"Space Force" shot for the moon, but it couldn't stay on trajectory after taking off. The comedy received underwhelming reviews, with the first season being criticized for being tonally uneven and mishandling its satirical elements. Critical acclaim is one of the factors Netflix looks at when determining the future of a series, and "Space Force" didn't receive a lot of it right out of the gate. But while the show's second reason got much better reviews than its predecessor, they weren't enough to convince the streaming service's top brass to give the series another chance.

That said, it seems that viewership wasn't strong enough to warrant a second season either. As reported by Deadline in 2022, "Space Force" season 2 failed to make a dent in Nielsen's top 10 charts for streaming, which is a key barometer when assessing a show's success. What's more, season 2 didn't fare much better on the Netflix charts either, peaking in fifth place before dropping out of the top 10 shortly after. That was a big drop-off compared to season 1, which, despite earning a harsher critical response, stayed at the top of the charts for weeks.

"Space Force" was an expensive series to produce (especially during a pandemic), and the numbers didn't justify the costs. As such, Netflix decided to cut its losses, and the rest is history. It's a shame, though, as "Space Force" season 2 finds the show settling into a consistent groove and ironing out the kinks. Greg Daniels' "Parks and Recreations" also took a minute to find its groove — and it was more than worth the wait.