Netflix Has Quietly Canceled Four Shows This Year

Netflix is the most popular streaming platform in the world, thanks in large part to its massive library of original shows, series, movies, specials, and documentaries. However, the unfortunate reality is that not all of those originals are successful.

With such a massive number of originals, Netflix often has to make some hard decisions regarding the future of some fan-favorite shows. Unfortunately, for many fans, those difficult decisions have led Netflix to cancel four of its original shows this year alone.

Alice in Borderland

Alice in Borderland is a Japanese dystopian thriller based on the manga by Haro Aso. It follows a gamer and his friends after they are transported to an abandoned, parallel Tokyo and forced to compete in dangerous, sadistic games in order to survive.

The series emerged as a fan-favorite show through the first two seasons and racked up 25 million views in its third season. However, it will not continue.

While Netflix never officially confirmed that Season 3 was the final season before its release, fans of the show received some disappointing news in the streaming giant’s “What We Watched: The Second Half of 2025” engagement report as Netflix announced that the third season was indeed the final season, quietly canceling the show.

The Abandons

Following the success of Yellowstone, many streaming services tried their hand at Western-style shows. The Abandons marked Netflix's attempt at the genre, following two rival matriarchs battling for supremacy in 1850’s Washington.

However, despite a surge in interest shortly after its release, the show will not receive a second season. After a drastic drop-off in viewership and some very unfavorable critical reviews, Netflix announced the show's cancellation just a month after it originally premiered.

The Vince Staples Show

While The Vince Staples Show was a critical success through its first two seasons, the show will not be returning for a third season.

The show is a surreal, semi-autobiographical comedy-drama that follows a fictionalized, slightly famous version of rapper Vince Staples navigating daily life. While it was a hit with critics, earning a 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, it was quietly canceled by Netflix this year.

The decision was likely linked to its relatively low viewership numbers, as Deadline reported that the show never charted on Netflix’s Weekly Top 10 and that it ranked just No. 1,446 on Netflix’s Second Half of 2025 viewership.

Terminator: Zero

Set in 1997 Tokyo, Terminator: Zero followed a soldier named Eiko who was sent from 2022 to protect Malcolm Lee, a scientist developing "Kokoro," an AI intended to rival Skynet.

The show was a hit with fans and critics who had been clamoring for more since it was released back in 2024. However, creator Mattson Tomlin confirmed last week that the show had been quietly canceled by Netflix due to poor viewership.

"It was cancelled. The critical and audience reception to it was tremendous, but at the end of the day, not nearly enough people watched it. I would’ve loved to deliver on the Future War I had planned in seasons 2 and 3, but I’m also very happy with how it feels contained as is,” he wrote in a post on X.

More Shows Ending

While these shows were canceled rather unceremoniously, there are a few other beloved Netflix series that will be coming to a planned end in 2026.

In addition to these four shows, Netflix has announced that several more shows will officially end in 2026. Unlike these series, however, they will receive much more official endings with their stories completed.