Why was Resident Evil Cancelled by Netflix After One Season?
Netflix’s Resident Evil series, on paper, was expected to redefine the video game franchise within the live-action setting. However, recent news of its termination has prompted fans to ask why Resident Evil was cancelled after one season.
The Resident Evil franchise had previously relied on Paul W. S. Anderson’s live-action series to carry the narrative on the silver screen, starring Milla Jovovich.
Developed by Andrew Dabb for Netflix and based on the video game series of the same name by Capcom, Resident Evil stars Lance Reddick, Ella Balinska, Adeline Rudolph, Paola Núñez, and more and follows two timelines that explore the origins of twins in New Raccoon City in the past and the devastating effects of the T-virus in the present day.
Resident Evil | Official Teaser 2
Why was Resident Evil Cancelled by Netflix?
The primary reason why Netflix cancelled Resident Evil was poor ratings.
Deadline initially reported the cancellation yesterday, August 26, 2022, confirming that the termination was not surprising after “the drama did not have a particularly strong showing on Netflix’s Top 10 and cost vs. viewing is the streamer’s leading renewal criterion.”
The report shared Resident Evil’s debut at No. 2 with an OK 72.7 million hours viewed, however, the series failed to make a dent in Week 2 and subsequently fell out of the Top 10 after only three weeks.
The show’s 55% critics score and 27% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes were also highlighted.
Viewers React to Resident Evil’s Cancellation
Unfortunately, viewers’ opinion on the show’s cancellation is reflective of the poor ratings, with many viewers criticizing the show’s bad writing and distance from the video game franchise.
However, one viewer did state that the worst aspect of the show’s cancellation is that fans will not be able to see the teased Ada Wong in Season 2.
How Many Episodes are in Resident Evil?
Netflix’s Resident Evil series has eight episodes within Season 1, with each installment lasting between 46-63 minutes.
Standing as the second television adaptation of the video game franchise, Resident Evil follows the animated miniseries Infinite Darkness and is the eighth live-action adaptation overall.
All Season 1 episodes dropped on Thursday, July 14, 2022, and below we have provided an episode guide to aid your watch:
- Episode 1: Welcome to New Raccoon City
- Episode 2: The Devil You Know
- Episode 3: The Light
- Episode 4: The Turn
- Episode 5: Home Movies
- Episode 6: Someone’s Little Girl
- Episode 7: Parasite
- Episode 8: Revelations
By Jo Craig – [email protected]
Resident Evil is now streaming on Netflix.
Gaming Trailers
More Like This
Dead by Daylight | Resident Evil: Project W - Spotlight Trailer
Latest Trailers
My Hero Ultra Rumble | Announcement Trailer
Jo Craig
@https://twitter.com/shingeekyjo
Jo Craig is a staff writer at GRV Media reporting pop culture content on Forever Geek and brainstorming with the HITC Entertainment team. After nearly a decade in the game, Jo finds dissecting Marvel trailers for hours standard practice and still finds time to review, analyse, and research film, anime, video games and everything on the nerdy spectrum. Maintaining a strong social media presence, Jo’s passion for contributing to the geek culture community is a staple in their work and the spark behind vibrant discussions with comrades, even though some disagree that The Lord of the Rings is the best franchise.
Read more of Jo's articles