Netflix has cancelled The OA, its surreal drama about cross-dimensional travel, life after death and angels, after just two seasons, prompting thousands of shocked reactions from fans online. The series, created by Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij, was a critical success, holding an 84% rating from reviewers and 83% from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes.
By comparison, 13 Reasons Why, the controversial teen suicide drama which has been renewed for a fourth and final season, scored only 52% from critics and 66% from fans. Cindy Holland, Netflix's head of original content, said the company was "incredibly proud" of the 16 chapters of The OA and looked forward to working with the creators again "in this and perhaps many other dimensions".
Netflix described the show as "a big creative swing" but said decisions on renewals are based on "viewing versus cost". Scott Bryan, co-host of the BBC's Must Watch podcast, told Newsbeat that the cancellation may reflect growing competition from Disney+ and Apple's upcoming service, and that Netflix is "starting to cut shows that obviously don't work for them as well as others". He said he was "gutted" by the news, adding that The OA showed "the complete limitless potential of having a show on a streaming platform".
Every episode of the series was a different length, allowing the creators to tell the story at their own pace, and the opening credits were only seen once, near the end of the first episode. The show was also notable for its ambition and scale, with five seasons originally planned, as confirmed by actor Brandon Perea on Twitter.
The first season followed Prairie Johnson, a blind adopted Russian girl who returns home with her sight restored after seven years, claiming she was abducted by a doctor obsessed with travelling to alternate dimensions. She teaches a group of outcasts a set of dance moves that enable such travel, hoping to rescue the man she loves. Season two involved a detective, a mysterious app and a twist that Scott Bryan called a "huge moment".
Journalist Hanna Flint praised the show's diverse cast, which included transgender actor Ian Alexander and 68-year-old Phyllis Smith, describing it as more of a "fairy tale, a fantasy" than sci-fi. She expressed disappointment at the cancellation, arguing that Netflix has positioned itself as a champion of innovative programming but cannot rely on algorithms to decide what to keep producing.
