Netflix’s Resident Evil show was greeted with a full-throated “whatever” from viewers, both those who’d played the games and those who hadn’t. It’s gone now.
Full disclosure: I didn’t watch Netflix’s Resident Evil show, but speaking as someone who played a fair number of the video games from Capcom, I thought it looked pretty bad. So it’s set in the world of the games but doesn’t actually adapt any of them? And villain Albert Wesker has kids now? And there are two timelines, one before a zombie apocalypse and one after? Who is this supposed to be for, exactly? Not fans of the games, clearly, but also probably not normal viewers who are already burnt out on zombie stories.
And it sounds like most people agreed with me, because while Resident Evil broke into Netflix’s Top 10 after it was released on July 14, it quickly fell out and critical reception was muted at best. So it’s with no great surprise that I report, per Deadline, that Netflix has cancelled the show after one season.
I come not to mourn Resident Evil, but to ask who thought it was a good idea in the first place. And okay, we can mourn a bit, too. I’m sure the show had its fans. To any of them out there, you have my sympathies.
Meanwhile, I’m waiting with bated breath for word on whether Netflix is going to renew The Sandman, which premiered early this month. That show has performed much better than Resident Evil did, both in terms of numbers and critical reception, so I’m hoping for the best. Just take the money you were going to spend on Raccoon City and put it into the Dreaming, Netflix.
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