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The Sandman Season 2 Might Be Cancelled, Says Gaiman
The Sandman could be canceled by Netflix after just one season, despite being the platform’s biggest new show – here’s why…
Netflix has shown, plenty of times, that it has no problem canceling popular TV shows. Archive 81 was canceled after just one season, for instance, and that show was utterly brilliant. Could this happen to The Sandman? One of Netflix’s newest and most popular shows? Possibly.
Writing on Twitter, Neil Gaiman, the man who penned the book that The Sandman is based on, said that The Sandman season 2 is not guaranteed, despite the success of the first season. According to Gaiman, the cost of the show, its heavy reliance on VFX, and its long-term performance could all lead to it getting canceled after one season.
Is Netflix Cancelling The Sandman?
To date, The Sandman has logged over 250 million viewing hours and has been a constant in Netflix’s Top 10 shows ever since its release. It is also very popular with critics and viewers alike. But even with ALL of this working in its favor, a second season of The Sandman is still in doubt.
Sadly, this is how things work at Netflix nowadays. Gaiman seems well aware of how difficult it will be to get a second series of The Sandman. A show needs to not only be highly popular but also generate new subscriptions. If it does this, Netflix will review the possibility of a second season.
But The Sandman isn’t just any old TV show. It has a huge budget, as evidenced by the brilliant VFX in season one. VFX costs money, however, and this means a huge budget is required to produce each episode and this, says Gaiman, is what could scupper a second season of the show.
Writing on Twitter, Gaiman said: “Because Sandman is a really expensive show. And for Netflix to release the money to let us make another season we have to perform incredibly well. So yes, we’ve been the top show in the world for the last two weeks. That still may not be enough”.
Why It’s Important To Finish Watching TV Shows On Netflix
As with most big tech companies, Netflix’s algorithm has myriad features that the company uses to assess the success (or failings) of its productions. If something gets lots of eyeballs, plenty of screen time, and people watch it through until the end, this sends a positive signal to Netflix execs.
But if one of these metrics is out of whack, say, people start watching the show but a significant number do not finish it, this changes the feedback from positive to questionable – or worse, negative. If a show has negative feedback from the algorithm, it is placed on a watch list. If it fails to improve, the show is canceled.
Neil Gaiman knows this and has been on Twitter encouraging people that started The Sandman to make sure they finish it, giving credence to the idea that this metric used by Netflix’s algorithm could well be one of the most important factors in how the company decides whether or not a show will get a second season.
To make matters worse, Netflix is currently enduring one of its worst-performing financial years to date. Subscribers are down and investors are demanding answers, changes, and a return to growth. In response, Netflix will introduce a cheaper, ad-supported tier and cut costs across the board which means it will be way more selective with what content it produces.
It is this cost-cutting that likely has Gaiman worried; The Sandman is a hugely expensive TV show to produce, so even if it is delivering the goods Netflix still might pull the plug over budgetary concerns. This the bad news, according to Gaiman, but there is hope for a second season of The Sandman even if Netflix does cancel the show.
The Sandman Season 2 Release Date
Netflix has not yet confirmed whether The Sandman will get a second season. Neil Gaiman is concerned the show will be canceled because, despite its popularity, it is very expensive to produce and this factor could sway Netflix in favor of canceling it after just one season.
But there is hope for a second season of The Sandman even if Netflix does decide to cancel it. According to Gaiman, there are plenty of other streaming platforms waiting in the wings to pick up the show for a second season should Netflix cancel it.
Which platforms? Gaiman didn’t name names but the most likely candidates would be Amazon, Apple, and HBO.
Netflix does not OWN the show entirely, it merely produced it with WB/DC, so if the show is canceled the producers and Gaiman will be able to shop season 2 around to other streaming platforms. And who knows, if Netflix is averse to spending money on season two of The Sandman, perhaps it would be better off at HBO or Apple anyway?
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