Netflix accused of cancelling lesbian themed shows

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It seems Netflix has a bad habit of canceling television shows on their platform that feature lesbian characters or relationships. The incredible part is that many of these shows have great ratings and loyal fan bases, leading viewers to wonder if Netflix is doing it all on purpose. Whether they are or not, it has been made more than clear that the streaming giant has something against these shows, characters, and relationships.

Indeed, it becomes unmistakably apparent that a problem is occurring when films and television programs that have received mixed reviews (Riverdale, The Kissing Booth, 13 Reasons Why) are repeatedly renewed or maintained year in and year out, much more frequently compared to any current shows with lesbian appearances. It prompts the question: Why does Netflix keep canceling lesbian TV shows?

Many programs with lesbian leads have been axed by Netflix (with a single exception of Orange Is the New Black) after only a few seasons. The one-season television show Everything Sucks! followed a group of teens as they struggled with topics including coming out, growing up, and defining their sexual identities. After three seasons, Netflix terminated the lesbian Latina main character drama One Day at a Time. The POP network later renewed it for an additional season. Last but not least, Teenage Bounty Hunters, a one-season television series about identical twin sisters who secretly start working as bounty hunters, included a lesbian romance.

After that, Netflix chose to cancel three of its own original TV programs with lesbian leads in 2020: I Am Not Okay With This, based on Charles Forsman's graphic novel of the same name; The Society, about a group of teens who run their town after a catastrophe kills all the adults; and Atypical, about a character with autism. They all got canceled within a week of each other and featured significant lesbian primary characters. Netflix gave the excuse of "circumstances created by COVID," yet additional series with queer representation were subsequently canceled within the next few years (Anne with an E, Warrior Nun, Uncoupled, Fate: The Winx Saga).

First Kill, a teen vampire drama starring a Black lesbian lead character, was canceled in 2022, much to the chagrin of fans. The program was terminated by Netflix, according to Deadline, because "the series did not meet thresholds for viewing and completion of episodes," yet the publication also claimed that "the series easily cleared 100M hours viewed in its first 28 days of release," leading viewers to question what was actually going on. And all of these are just some of the series that Netflix's decisions have had an influence on.

In an interview with Bloomberg at the beginning of 2023, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos stated, "We have never canceled a successful show,” before going on to say that, “a lot of these shows were well-intended but talk to a very small audience on a very big budget. The key to it is you have to be able to talk to a small audience on a small budget and a large audience at a large budget. If you do that well, you can do that forever.”