Why Was 1899 Cancelled by Netflix and Can It Be Revived?

1899 got off to a promising start at Netflix, but it was cancelled when the short-sighted bean-counters in charge failed to recognize its potential.

What Is It?

This series is set aboard a migrant steamship traveling from Europe to New York at the turn of the 20th century. The diverse passengers—each with their own secrets and hopes for a new life—find their journey takes a terrifying turn when they discover another ship, the Prometheus, that had been missing for months. As strange and supernatural events begin to unfold, the passengers must confront disturbing truths about themselves and the nature of their reality.

Aired: Netflix, 2022, 1 Season Totaling 8 Episodes

Starring: Emily Beecham, Aneurin Barnard, Andreas Pietschmann, Miguel Bernardeau, José Pimentão, Isabella Wei

Developed By:  Jantje Friese, Baran bo Odar

Why Was It Cancelled?

This show came from Jantje Friese and Baran bo Odar, who had previously created the acclaimed sci-fi series Dark for Netflix. 1899 arrived with high anticipation and immediately jumped into the Netflix Top 10. It spent five weeks there, rising as high as the Number 2 slot, and it averaged 51 million hours of viewing per week during that time. The only reason it did not hit the top of the charts was that the first season of Wednesday—one of the streamer’s most-watched shows of all time—had that spot locked down. 1899 certainly seemed to be on track for renewal, but then the surprise cancellation announcement was made, coming from an Instagram post by Friese and bo Odar:

This cancellation came at a time when the Netflix Red Queen was shouting “Off with their heads!” left and right, cutting down other popular shows like Warrior Nun and Fate: The Winx Saga. The streamer had started focusing more heavily on the completion rate of its originals, which tracks how many people watched a season all the way through. This allegedly indicates how likely viewers are to return for another season, even though that logic defeats the whole purpose of on-demand viewing. Shows like 1899, Warrior Nun, and Fate: The Winx Saga placed well in the charts but didn’t have sufficient completion rates, so they fell victim to the Netflix Red Queen.  In addition, 1899 was quite expensive to produce, with Netflix footing much of the bill—it was a co-production with the German Motion Picture Fund—and they apparently decided future seasons would be too costly.

Friese and bo Odar had a three-season plan for the show, with the second year delving into the symbology of the triangles and the third year wrapping things up, but the cancellation put an end to that. As a consolation prize, Netflix did sign a new, eight-figure deal with the creators to continue working on new productions for the streamer. But fans of 1899 certainly would have preferred that to include some sort of conclusion to the series.

Can It Be Revived?

After the cancellation, fans took to social media trying to convince Netflix execs to change their minds, or another venue to pick the show up. An online petition garnered over 100,000 signatures, but fan efforts did not result in a continuation of the show. Netflix has a large ownership stake in the series, and unless another venue is willing to shell out enough money to buy the rights, it will likely remain with its original streaming service.

Still, fans could make another attempt to convince the streamer to continue the story. It has been about three years since the show first premiered, and it would still be possible to pull the cast back together. If fans got the show trending on social media again, and if they were to stage watch parties, perhaps it could return to the Netflix charts. They could also stage subscription drives, convincing people to subscribe to Netflix to watch the show, and that would bring some attention because it would impact the bottom line. And even if it did not result in another season, perhaps the creators could wrap up the story with a movie or two. They are still actively working at Netflix now, so it seems like a good time to make another push to revive 1899 (perhaps focusing on November 17th which was the original premiere date). It will certainly be an uphill battle, but if fans make enough noise, they may get a conclusion to the story.

Where Can You Watch It?

The entire series is still streaming on Netflix and it does not look like it will leave that venue anytime soon. It has not been released on DVD, not is it available to purchase VOD.

Did you watch 1899 and would you support fan efforts to revive the show? Chime in with your thoughts in the comments below.

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