Netflix is retiring Space Force.
The streaming giant has canceled The Office creator Greg Daniels’ Steve Carell comedy after two critically planned seasons.
The news comes after Netflix attempted to creatively relaunch the pricey comedy in its second season, moving production from Los Angeles to Vancouver to reduce budgets. A co-showrunner was also added alongside Daniels in hopes of expanding the series creatively, as Carell and Daniels’ The Office did during its run.
But that wasn’t the case, and reviews for the second season remained tepid.
Inspired by former President Trump’s order to establish the Space Force as the sixth military branch, the Space Force was co-created by Carell and his former showrunner Daniels of The Office. Space Force debuted straight into the series in January 2019, setting a record for talent pay at the time, as Carell’s deal for the series exceeded $1 million per episode when co-creation, executive producing and… Acting considered.
With The Office, which used to rank as one of Netflix’s most-watched acquired series — sources suggest it often drew more viewers than some of its originals — the streamer followed after hearing Carell was ready for regular series television return, aggressive Space Force. The show has not been purchased elsewhere. The Office left Netflix for Peacock last year.
The 10-episode comedy kicked off May 29 with high expectations considering Carell and Daniels were reunited for the first time since megahit The Office. Critics weren’t kind and the series, per aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, had a 38 percent rating in its first season. THR chief critic Daniel Fienberg called the series “a bumpy start” in his review. Viewers, however, were friendlier (75 percent on RT). THR-TV critic Angie Han called the second season “better than the first season, but still not very good”.
Netflix, which also dropped screenplay originals Raising Dion and Pretty Smart earlier this week, is staying in business with Daniels with animated comedies Bad Crimes and Exploding Kittens. Both series are from the recently formed animation company Daniels and King of the Hill’s Mike Judge.
Netflix Script Originals rarely make it to three or four seasons, as the streamer, which doesn’t release traditional viewership data, reviews shows based on their budget and overall internal metrics. Space Force was an expensive show that didn’t garner much favor despite its creative pedigree and big star.
The streamer is reassessing its spending after losing 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter of the year. It was Netflix’s first loss of subscribers in a decade. Layoffs in the company’s marketing department took place earlier this week. More cuts, both in terms of programs and staff, are expected as the company tries to refine its focus to better reassure Wall Street investors