Netflix Cancels Cowboy Bebop After One Season

Television

Deadline reports that Netflix has decided to cancel Cowboy Bebop after only one season. This development comes mere weeks after the show premiered on November 19th. The show stars John Cho as Spike Spiegel, Daniella Pineda as Faye Valentine, and Mustafa Shakir as Spike’s bounty hunting partner Jet Black. An adaptation of the iconic 1998 anime of the same name, the series has received a mixed response from critics and fans alike. 

I can’t say I’m surprised here. I didn’t think this live-action remake was a good idea from the start, and what I’ve heard and read hasn’t persuaded me otherwise. I love the anime, but I still haven’t started this series because I’m busy, and there are plenty of other shows to check out. A couple of good casting decisions and leftover goodwill from the original isn’t enough to make a series a hit, which seems to be the lesson here. I do wonder if this will at all impact Netflix’s approach to other live-action adaptations, such as their upcoming Avatar: The Last Airbender remake. I doubt it, though, honestly. Studios usually take the wrong lessons from failures like this. Furthermore, I think these attempts to bring beloved animated properties to live-action for no real reason are doomed from the start. This is sad, but I mostly feel bad for the actors and people like that. This is their livelihood; I don’t think anybody is worried about Netflix.