Netflix cancels Cursed after one season

It looks like Netflix’s Cursed is indeed…cursed. Okay, bad pun, but sadly, the streaming service has decided to cancel the Arthurian fantasy drama after just one season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Starring 13 Reasons Why’s Katherine Langford, the series was a retelling of the famous King Arthur story, from the minds of Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler.

Cursed premiered on Netflix in July 2020, right in the thick of quarantine and lockdown. Unfortunately, it did not receive much attention from critics or audiences. Personally, I enjoyed the twist Netflix put on the legendary story by focusing on the female characters in a tale usually dominated by men.

The 10-episode first season followed Langford’s character Nimue as she took on a quest to protect the Sword of Power (aka the magical sword Excalibur), track down Merlin the wizard, and save her people. If you’re well-versed in Arthurian myth, then you’ll probably remember that Nimue, aka the Lady in the Lake, was the one who gives Excalibur to King Arthur.

My familiarity with the Arthurian legend is limited to Disney’s animated movie The Sword in the Stone, so it was nice to get another perspective on it.

Cursed ratings lead to one-and-done season

Cursed had lush environments, intriguing characters, and a future that I was absolutely invested in. Sadly, despite its potential, it only managed to get a 67% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That’s not the worse a show has ever received but I’m assuming Netflix’s numbers were far too low to justify splurging on another season.

But this leaves many questions unanswered from the first season, and a lot of fates hanging in the balance. What became of Nimue? What about Lancelot? Ugh, the torture.

In a time when diversity on TV is front and center, it’s gut-wrenching to see a female-led series be canceled by Netflix. This show could have gone places, but with so many of the streamer’s other shows finding success within their freshman seasons, they just weren’t willing to take a chance on the magic of Cursed.

Too bad the show can’t be shopped around to other networks…

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h/t Culturess