While many networks are riding the wave of science fiction and fantasy popularity, few are casting quite as wide a net as Netflix. The streaming platform has developed a reputation for taking a “throw spaghetti at the wall” approach to content, putting many shows into production that might not get a chance to shine on other networks…with the downside being that they may get lost in the shuffle once they air. If new shows don’t make the grade they quickly get cut loose.
One of the latest and perhaps most egregious examples of this is Cowboy Bebop, the live-action adaptation of the popular anime series. The show received a mixed reception from critics, toeing the line of being good-but-not-quite-great and bad-but-not-quite-awful, depending on who you asked. For Netflix, it wasn’t a safe enough bet to go forward with a season 2, and the show was cancelled less than three weeks after its release. That’s the kind of cancellation window you’d never really see happen in traditional broadcasting, and it stunned viewers and cast members alike.
John Cho played lead character Spike Spiegel, a cynical mercenary with a dark past. When the show was initially cancelled, the actor kept relatively quiet, responding with only the following tweet:
— John Cho (@JohnTheCho) December 10, 2021
John Cho: Cowboy Bebop cancellation was “very shocking”
Now that enough time has passed, Cho is talking a bit more about the cancellation. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Cho opened up about what the experience of seeing the show he’d worked so hard on cut short.
“I put a lot of my life into it. I’d gotten injured shooting that show and so I took a year off because of the surgery and devoted myself to rehab, came back and finished the show. It was this huge mountain for me to climb, healing from that injury. I felt good about myself as a result. We also shot the show in New Zealand, so my family moved there. It was just a huge event in my life and it was suddenly over,” he said.
"It was very shocking and I was bummed. But I was very warmed by the response. I wish I could have contacted everybody and gotten hugs. You can’t do that now, but … I don’t know what this is. I’m mystified a little bit about how you can connect with people that you don’t know doing your work, but I won’t question it. I will value it and treasure it. I’m just really deeply appreciative that anyone would care. It’s stunning to me."
It’s hard to imagine relocating your entire family to a new country only to have the rug get pulled out not too long after. Such is show biz, I guess. Whether you liked the Cowboy Bebop remake or not, there’s no denying that the people behind it put a lot of heart into what they were doing. I’d say “we’ll never see their like again,” but Netflix is currently hard at work on live-action treatments for One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender, so we’ll certainly see the network take more cracks at these kinds of anime adaptations.
Cowboy Bebop can still be streamed on Netflix. All 24 episodes of the original anime series are also available on the platform.
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h/t Syfy Wire