Netflix‘s psychological thriller series that became a global hit nearly had a completely different fate, but it was so good that, despite the show having been canceled after one season, it managed to come back for another four seasons. The rule of thumb in the streaming age is that pretty much every show is not safe. Follow that, and you will never be disappointed.
Many Netflix shows were canceled way too soon, and that rings true for other streaming services, networks, and even cable. That said, over the last decade, we have seen a huge influx of promising shows that did not make it past their first season. Looking at Netflix’s Original series, Dead Boy Detectives, I Am Not Okay With This, 1899, and more are of note.
The streaming service even committed the disappointing practice of reversing an announced renewal, axing the dystopian thriller The Society after initially renewing it for season 2. That said, not all is bad when it comes to Netflix’s approach to renewing shows. In fact, it was the streamer that saved a generational thriller series after another platform reversed its season 2 renewal.
That psychological thriller series was none other than You, starring Penn Badgley as the serial killer Joe Goldberg. The show has since gone on to become one of Netflix’s most popular series of the last decade, earning global fame. However, its story could have been entirely different, as You was initially canceled after one season despite being such an enthralling thriller series.
Netflix’s You Survived An Early Cancellation
You eventually became known to global audiences as a Netflix Original series, but it did not start that way, as Netflix bought the show’s rights after it had already aired. You season 1 was released on September 9, 2018, on Lifetime. The cable channel was so confident that it had a major hit on its hands that the thriller series based on Caroline Kepnes’ novels was renewed for season 2 that July, months before season 1 aired. However, You did not end up having the high viewership Lifetime expected, so the psychological thriller series was canceled in December 2018.
Netflix then swooped in, aired the first season, which became a global streaming sensation, and would then go on to consistently renew the series for more seasons until You season 5, which was released on Netflix on April 24, 2025, marked a natural ending point for the show. All the pieces were there for You to be a major hit, with a solid foundation in Kepnes’ series of novels, a talented ensemble led by Badgley, experienced producers like the Arrowverse’s Greg Berlanti, and more. In the end, You just needed the eyeballs Netflix could provide as a global streaming giant.
Why Netflix’s You Going On To Have 5 Seasons Was The Perfect Outcome
Netflix saving You was the perfect outcome, and it makes absolute sense that it did. After all, You was simply so good that it would have been tragic if the show stayed canceled after just one season, and its first batch of episodes was so well-received that commissioning another four seasons was the only possible path for Netflix. You season 1 stands at a near-perfect 94% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a stellar 83% audience score. That shows that while You might not have had high viewership numbers on Lifetime, everyone who was watching the show loved the thriller.
You’s final season has enough reflection and twists to keep us engaged, even as I became frustrated with some of the characters’ actions.
Netflix then took that strong foundation, recognizing what it could lead to, and subsequently renewed it for four more seasons. In You, Penn Badgley’s performance as Joe Goldberg is simply magnetic, with the show being a unique thriller where audiences are taken inside the mind of a twisted serial killer who does not see himself as the villain, and thus viewers become conflicted about rooting for him or not. This fresh show with excellent twists deserved to go on for as long as it did, and had Netflix not saved You, it would have been a tragic loss for thriller fans.
- Release Date
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2018 – 2025-00-00
- Showrunner
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Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti
- Directors
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Marcos Siega, Lee Toland Krieger, Cherie Nowlan, DeMane Davis, Kellie Cyrus, Marta Cunningham, Martha Mitchell, Victoria Mahoney, Erin Feeley
- Writers
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Justin W. Lo
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Penn Badgley
Joe Goldberg
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Elizabeth Lail
Guinevere Beck
