KAOS delivered a unique take on Greek mythology driven by a wicked sense of humor, but it was sadly cut short by Netflix.
What Is It?
This urban fantasy delivers a modern-day contemporary retelling of Greek mythology in which Zeus starts to worry about losing his control over the world as both humans and gods scheme against him.
Aired: Netflix, 2024, 1 Season Totaling 8 Episodes
Created By: Charlie Covell
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Janet McTeer, Cliff Curtis, David Thewlis, Killian Scott, Stephen Dillane, Aurora Perrineau
Why Was It Cancelled?
This series arrived on Netflix in August of 2024 and drew notable viewership, spending four weeks on the Netflix charts with an average of 25 million hours watched per week and three weeks in the Nielsen Streaming Rankings with an average of 576 million minutes per week. Those are good numbers for an unknown property that received very little advance promotion, and I thought it was on the way to a second-season renewal. But then actress Aurora Perrineau put up an Instagram post indicating that the show was cancelled, and that was later confirmed by Deadline. Creator Charlie Covell had two more seasons of the show planned, but Netflix decided to cut that short. He put out the following statement on Instagram after the cancellation:
Netflix did not give a reason for the cancellation, but the show was very expensive to produce, and they set a high bar for their originals. In addition, apparently KAOS was somewhat of a love-it-or-hate-it show, with some fans rather passionate about its unique take on Greek mythology (myself included), while others found it confusing and just rather odd. Ultimately, that led to this one becoming yet another one-and-done original series that was cut short by an “Off With Their Heads!” decree from the Netflix Red Queen.
Can the Show Be Revived?
There was no indication that the show would be shopped around after the cancellation, and Netflix usually retains the rights to its originals for at least two years. I expected more of an outcry from the fans, but I have not seen too much activity to save the show over the past few months since it was axed. It is still possible that fans could lobby the streamer to bring it back, but we have rarely seen that work out for Netflix originals. If they were to stage watch parties to get the show back in the Top 10 rankings, and also do a subscription drive to get people to sign up for the service to watch the show, that might draw the attention of Netflix execs. Fans could also lobby other streaming services to pick it up, but the trend these days is to get away from the more expensive productions. This one did have strong viewership out of the gates, though, so perhaps Amazon or Hulu might take a flyer on it if fans were to bring enough attention to the show. They can also vote for it in our Spring poll, and those numbers will be shared with the streaming services. It seems like a longshot at this point, but there is still a chance that KAOS could continue if fans stir up enough noise.
Where Can You Watch It?
The entire first season is still streaming on Netflix, and I imagine it will remain there until 2026.
Stream or Purchase VOD
Did you watch KAOS and would you support fan efforts to bring it back for a second season and more? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.
Keep up with the status of all the current sci fi and fantasy shows as well as news and updates on new and upcoming shows at CancelledSciFi.com.
Cancellation Watch: Status updates and breaking news on renewals and cancellations
Sci Fi TV Highlights: Listings for the upcoming week along with the latest sci fi TV news and trailers.
Sci Fi TV Production Report: News on which sci fi TV shows are moving into production.
And be sure to follow us on social media: Blue Sky | Facebook | Mastodon | Twitter.