Netflix cancels Kaos (and my confidence in the platform) after one season

Tell me if you've heard this one before: barely a month after a new show premiered its first season on Netflix, the streamer has decided to unceremoniously cancel it and chuck it in the bin. In this case, the show is Kaos, a series about Greek mythology set in the modern day, with characters like Zeus (Jeff Goldblum) and Hera (Janet McTeer) lording over Greece while mere humans scramble to worship them. Or at least that's what the humans are supposed to do; Kaos is all about what happens when that system goes off the rails, thanks in no small part to an unhealthy dose of paranoia and broken promises from the gods in charge.

Variety reports that Netfix has decided not to renew Kaos for a second season. It debuted on the platform on August 29, which means this decision comes just over five weeks later. That's a pretty short window for a show like Kaos to prove itself, especially considering the fairly muted promotional run it got. Can anyone reading this recall seeing many trailers or ads for Kaos? Because I certainly can't.

This story is still developing, so details are somewhat sparse. Netflix has developed a reputation for quickly giving shows the axe if they don't live up to its fairly high viewership standards; that's doubly true for genre shows, which tend to have higher budgets. There isn't any information readily available about the budget for Kaos or Netflix's expectations for it, but we can safely assume it didn't hit the mark.

All this is even sadder because Kaos was actually a pretty good show. I watched the first season and had a great time with it. The show essentially took the sort of modern-day-gods idea of something like American Gods and set it in Greece with the Greek pantheon, weaving in myths like Orpheus and Eurydice's journey to the underworld and King Minos' clash with the minotaur. All eight episodes of Kaos were written by showrunner Charlie Covell, so it had a very consistent tone from start to finish that made it a breeze to watch. It also had a fantastic cast; beyond Goldblum and McTeer, Kaos starred Westworld's Aurora Perrineau as Eurydice, David Thewlis as Hades, Cliff Curtis as Poseidon, Rakie Ayola as Persephone, Killian Scott as Orpheus, Leila Farzad as Ariadne, and Suzy Eddie Izzard as one of the Fates. Oh, and Game of Thrones veteran Stephen Dillane (Stannis Baratheon) played Prometheus, the narrator and mastermind behind many of the events of the series.

Simply put, Kaos was a fun show with a fresh take on Greek mythology, in part because it was actually set in Greece and leaned into those roots while infusing them with a ton of style and flair. The cast was amazing, especially Goldblum, who was delightful to watch as a powerful god growing gradually more unhinged. Kaos isn't one of those shows where it needed to "find its footing" in a second season; it was solid right from the jump.

Why do we even bother watching new Netflix shows?

So those are most of the facts we know. Kaos is canceled, we can presume because of low viewership. Netflix has done this sort of thing plenty of times, but I'd be lying if I said this one didn't make me especially salty. Maybe it's because Kaos was as good as it was or maybe this is just the straw that broke the camel's back, but at this point I'm feeling pretty tempted to swear off watching new Netflix shows. If bad shows get canned and good shows get canned and any show that isn't breaking records is unceremoniously led to the television guillotine for an ignoble end, then why bother?

But then that creates a vicious cycle, doesn't it? Netflix cancels shows after barely giving them time to find an audience, viewers get mad and don't try as many new Netflix shows, then Netflix cancels even more shows because people aren't watching enough. At some point, this cycle needs to give, and I think that concession will have to come from the industry rather than viewers.

Kaos may not have been a barn burner, but it was good enough that there's no doubt in my mind it deserved a second season. I'd love to tell you to go check it out — you should check it out if it sounds interesting to you — but this news makes it a lot harder to recommend. The show wrapped up some major plotlines in its first season finale, but it also left the door wide open for a second season. Regardless, I'm still grateful that I watched it, so I consider it time very well spent. If only Netflix valued the time viewers spent on the series as well.

The first and only season of Kaos is still available to stream on Netflix.

To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and Twitter account, sign up for our exclusive newsletter and check out our YouTube channel.