Netflix has canceled Sense8 after two seasons.The streaming service on Thursday confirmed that it would not be moving forward with the sci-fi drama from Lana and Lilly Wachowski and J. Michael Straczynski.
“After 23 episodes, 16 cities and 13 countries, the story of the Sense8 cluster is coming to an end,” Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vp original content, said in a statement.
“It is everything we and the fans dreamed it would be: bold, emotional, stunning, kickass and outright unforgettable,” she continued. “Never has there been a more truly global show with an equally diverse and international cast and crew, which is only mirrored by the connected community of deeply passionate fans all around the world. We thank Lana, Lilly, Joe and Grant [Hill] for their vision and the entire cast and crew for their craftsmanship and commitment.”
The decision to not order additional seasons of Sense8, which first debuted in 2015, comes a week after the streaming giant canceled The Get Down, its ambitious music drama from Baz Luhrmann, after only one season. The moves mark rare ones for the streamer, which has renewed the vast majority of its slate as part of an aggressive push into scripted originals. Other Netflix series to be canceled include Marco Polo, Lilyhammer, Hemlock Grove, Bloodline and A&E pickup Longmire.
Sense8 centered on eight strangers around the globe who find themselves interconnected. The ensemble cast was made up of Aml Ameen, Doona Bae, Jamie Clayton, Tina Desai, Tuppence Middleton, Max Riemelt, Miguel Angel Silvestre and Brian J. Smith. Rumors of Sense8’s uncertain future loomed in the days before the announcement, and castmember Smith even helped get a #RenewSense8 hashtag trending on Twitter in an effort to keep the show alive.
News of the decision also comes a day after Netflix founder and CEO Reed Hastings told CNBC at the Code Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., that he thinks the content platform hasn’t canceled enough shows.
“Our hit ratio is way too high right now,” he said. “I’m always pushing the content team; we have to take more risk, you have to try more crazy things, because we should have a higher cancel rate overall.“
