Netflix used to be known for taking chances, but now it offers too much "bland, consumable filler" like Space Force

The Independent

"Why does Netflix cancel some of its best shows and renew dross like Space Force?" asks Louis Chilton, adding: "Time was when Netflix seemed like an avenging angel when it came to TV’s wrongful cancellations. Back in 2013, one of the streaming service’s first high-profile original projects was a revival of Arrested Development, the cult sitcom whose 2006 cancellation by Fox was long regarded as one of the most egregious instances of TV executive wrong-headedness. Among the other series to have been resuscitated by Netflix’s cash-infusion CPR were Gilmore Girls, Black Mirror, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and You. And yet, Netflix has proved itself more than willing to indulge an itchy trigger finger when one of its own shows isn’t doing the business. Obviously, a content producer with Netflix’s scale – cranking out at least one new series a week, on top of weekly film releases and comedy specials – is going to inevitably produce a lot of flotsam. But some of the best programmes the streamer has ever produced have also been cut down in their prime. Glow; Tuca and Bertie; Dark; Sense 8; Lady Dynamite; even BoJack Horseman, one of Netflix’s standout critical hits, was brought to an end against the wishes of its creator. Meanwhile, look at the list of series that have been renewed, and you will see a haphazard buffet of the good and the mediocre." He adds: "Netflix has always branded itself as a disruptor, unshackled to the norms of TV’s old guard. Too often, it seems to be solely interested in churning out the kind of bland, consumable filler that’s been the scourge of TV for decades."