Netflix has decided to cancel the supernatural detective thriller series Lockwood & Co after only one season. The streaming giant made this decision because the show's viewing numbers weren't enough to justify a renewal, in accordance with the company's widely criticized approach to show cancellation.
According to the Variety report that broke the news, Netflix was pleased with the show and its performance: Lockwood & Co received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike, with a 92% critics approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 94% Google users rating.
However, the show's failure to attract more viewership in the three weeks it was on Netflix's Global Top 10 shows spelled the end for it. Lockwood & Co is the latest victim of Netflix's aggressive cancellation of shows that fail to attract large audiences, especially if they are expensive to make – a list that includes Warrior Nun and Neil Patrick Harris's Uncoupled.
In January, the streamer's CEO, Ted Sarandos, gave an interview where he explained the rationale behind these decisions. He stated, "A lot of these shows were well-intended but talk to a very small audience on a very big budget. The key to it is you have to be able to talk to a small audience on a small budget and a large audience at a large budget."