Cowboy Bebop's cancelation after one season wastes all of its promise

Polygon

"Without critical acclaim, a vocal fandom, or sustained interest in keeping the show a mega-hit, it’s easy to see how it was game, set, and match for John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, and Daniella Pineda," says David Grossman. "But the departure is still stunning, simply given how much Netflix poured into its promotional efforts. On Netflix’s YouTube page, one can find Cowboy Bebop remixes by Steve Aoki, behind-the-scenes clips with actors showing off the custom-made set and musicians doing their thing, and even a four-hour-and-40 minute soundtrack stream entitled 'Space Jazz to Chase Bounties and Cook Beef and Broccoli to.' Compare all that hype with Netflix’s biggest hit of the year: Red Notice. While it’s only one metric, all that appears on the company’s YouTube page is a live event of Red Notice’s stars gathering. The one promotional effort done by Ryan Reynolds doesn’t even focus on the movie, instead discussing his recent purchase of a soccer club. Of course, it helps when Reynolds, Dwayne Johnson, Gal Gadot and are walking, breathing, promo machines with millions of followers on every possible platform. A tech company like Netflix knows Red Notice promotes itself. Cowboy Bebop, a weird show based on a weird show, not so much." Grossman adds that another problem is that "unlike the original Bebop, the show aired all at once. The full run of the original Bebop aired from October 24, 1998 to April 24, 1999 on the satellite network Wowow. It then slowly built an audience across the world — first in Italy, then the United States through Adult Swim, then Australia, and so on. Its reputation flourished on strong reviews and word-of-mouth between international anime fans. While the anime Bebop can certainly be binged, each episode feels like an event. From Spike’s daring gambit with the Space Shuttle Columbia to Jet’s learning about feng shui on Mars, these episodes stand fully on their own. Certain plot points are pushed forward, but each session truly feels unique. When all the episodes are presented together, it’s hard for that feeling to feel explosive with each go around. The Netflix Bebop tried to recreate the magic, but creating a show for binging can pressure writers to have each episode connect to the other, forcing a sense of unity that may not necessarily need to exist. What works in the bubble of writer’s room may not resonate in real life."