Television

Streaming Shows 'Everything Sucks' And 'Mozart In The Jungle' Canceled

Everything Sucks cancelled
By Chris Evangelista

Everything Sucks and Mozart in the Jungle, two well-received shows that streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, respectively, have been cancelled. Does this signify a shift in the streaming landscape?

Everything Sucks Cancelled 

There was a time when streaming services were willing to let their original shows continue indefinitely. Those days are apparently over. Netflix's Everything Sucks garnered good reviews and was just starting to build buzz, but that wasn't enough for the streaming giant. The Hollywood Reporter reveals Netflix has given the '90s teen drama the axe.

"We're super proud of the show we made — and very proud that it found an audience of very passionate fans, for many of whom it became an important personal touchstone: either reflecting their current life, or an echo of their own teenage years," said Everything Sucks executive producer Jeff Pinker. "We are grateful to Netflix for the opportunity, but are very disheartened we won't be continuing to tell these stories."

Peyton Kennedy, who had earned several glowing reviews for her performance on the show, sent out this tweet in the wake of the cancellation.

This cancellation seems like a bad (and, frankly, stupid) move on Netflix's part. Everything Sucks may not have had the hype of Stranger Things, but it really did seem like the show was gaining momentum. On top of that, the show clearly wasn't overly expensive for Netflix to produce. It would've made more sense for Netflix to give it at least one more season and see if the audience continued to grow.

Mozart in the Jungle Cancelled 

Everything Sucks isn't the only streaming show that got a cancellation notice over the weekend. Mozart in the Jungle, Amazon's Golden Globe winning series about the lives of several musicians in an orchestra in New York City, has also been cancelled. "We are so proud of the four seasons we made of this show and are grateful to the cast, crew, fans and Amazon for writing this symphony with us. We hope people will keep finding the show for years to come," reads a statement from executive producers Paul Weitz, Will Graham, Roman Coppola, and Jason Schwartzman.Mozart's cancellation is perhaps less unfortunate than Everything Sucks, as the show at least had four seasons to tell its story.

Streaming Changes

Still, this clearly indicates a sea change for streaming services. There was a time period when places like Netflix would let their original shows ride. Netflix and Amazon don't traffic in traditional ratings the way that network TV does, and in the past this allowed them to be more lenient. But as Netflix and Amazon struggle for some sort of streaming dominancy, things change. Netflix is hellbent on producing as many original shows as possible. They have plans to create at least 700 original movies and shows this year alone. But it's still not quite clear what their overall goal is with all of this. Are they simply throwing everything at the wall and waiting to see what sticks? If so, they run the risk of over-saturation. They also run the risk of letting shows with a growing audience, like Everything Sucks, get trampled.

Amazon, meanwhile, is shelling out huge bucks for their original programs. They're willing to shell out over a billion dollars for original shows like The Three-Body Problem and their Lord of the Rings series. But that money has to come from somewhere, and it's likely that if one of their shows isn't a huge hit, it's going to get the boot. A previous report indicated Mozart in the Jungle's "cost per stream" average was not exactly where Amazon wanted it to be.

All of this indicates a distinct tectonic shift in the streaming landscape. The days of streaming shows with indefinite seasons are seemingly at an end.

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