‘I truly do not get it’: Netflix cancels Fate: The Winx Saga despite chart-topping popularity
Netflix has called time on popular teen drama series Fate: The Winx Saga after just two seasons.
The news comes by way of showrunner Brian Young, who announced the cancellation in an Instagram post (opens in new tab). “This is not fun news to share,” he wrote, “but Netflix [has] decided not to move forward with season 3 of Fate: The Winx Saga.”
A live-action adaptation of animated Nickelodeon series Winx Club, Fate: The Winx Saga debuted on Netflix back in January 2021 before returning for a second season in September this year. Its recent episodes were watched for a total of 49 million hours in their first month of release, making Fate: The Winx Saga the number one show in 76 countries between September and October 2022.
Clearly, though, the series’ chart-topping popularity wasn’t enough to convince Netflix executives of its longevity.
“This is especially tough because I know how many of you loved [season 2],” Young told fans on Instagram. “It’s a heartbreaking silver lining, but a silver lining all the same. I’m so proud of everyone who worked on the show, and so happy we got to tell the stories we did.”
“Our cast and crew put in a ton of hard work creating this world and these characters,” the showrunner added. “I’m grateful for each and every one of them, and for all of you for watching. It’s been an amazing four years. Hopefully we’ll see each other again in the future.”
Frustratingly for fans of Fate: The Winx Saga, season 2 concluded with a huge cliff-hanger ending. “This can’t end like this,” one viewer (opens in new tab) wrote on Twitter, while another (opens in new tab) complained: “Hey Netflix, can you at least FINISH the show before canceling it? Seriously, it’s getting annoying.”
HOW can Netflix cancel a show that’s been breaking records and has SO much potential?! I truly do not get it. Fate: The Winx Saga deserves better. Explain. @netflixNovember 1, 2022
Same old Netflix?
The list of shows canceled by Netflix has slowed in recent months, though several series have still found themselves on the chopping block despite the streamer’s upturn in subscriber fortunes. Bad Crimes, for instance – an in-development procedural comedy set to star Nicole Byer and Lauren Lapkus – was recently cancelled before seeing the light of day.
Generally speaking, though, the future looks bright for Netflix movies and TV shows – brighter, at least, than it seemed earlier in 2022. The company’s finances are supposedly in good shape as the year draws to a close, and its operating profit looks set to further balloon in 2023 and beyond.
Not only is Netflix ramping up its crackdown on account sharing in a bid to boost revenue, but the streamer is also preparing to launch a cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier to ease the pain on subscribers’ wallets and its own bottom line.
Evidently, Netflix’s business shake-up looks to have come too late for Fate: The Winx Saga, but here’s hoping that more of the best Netflix shows are safe from cancellation following the company’s strategy shift.
