Recently, Netflix has been renewing and canceling several shows off of their streaming sites. With Disney+ and other popular sites beginning to take away the unique and large scope that Netflix once held, many people are asking themselves why Netflix would choose to do what it is doing right now.

Innovation and change is always an idea that is much needed in the media center and Netflix, above all places, is aware of this. From its shows, to its movies, to its original content, Netflix has never been one to shy away from the new and bold. Yet, somehow people are beginning to disagree in the direction the platform is taking in its innovation: that is, not how it is innovating but what areas of the sight the innovation is affecting. 

Netflix’s idea of changing its sight and keeping it relevant is to cancel and renew shows based off several different criteria, yet that exact criteria may not be the most sound proof way to go about picking such grand choices. Shows with high ratings such as “You” and “Big Mouth” are constantly renewed, and wisely so. Not only do these shows draw large audiences to them at a time, but they are both built in vastly different ways that accomplish the same goal: the audience can not stop watching one episode after another. As Justin Lopez (12) states, “Netflix has always been a go to platform for me and my family to watch every night,” when speaking about Netflix. 

Streaming is highly dependent on ratings, therefore when a show does well within its first week it says quite a lot about how successful that show would be if another season were to be brought about. With this is mind, Netflix has gotten a tad greedy in the past. The latest case of this had been “Anne With an E,” a popular show on Netflix that has almost a cult following that bring in good ratings. So, why would Netflix cancel it in its third season when it was set to have five? 

The contract. The contract set with the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) and Netflix had began to become a bit less symbiotic than it had in the past. Due to this, CBC had decided to cut ties with Netflix, leading to a cancellation of a widely popular show that has garnered so much media attention, the posts on social media such as Instagram have gone viral and the  #renewannewithane has become widespread. This is because of the dedicated and massive fan base, an actual billboard had been put up in Canada where the show is shot to try and save it. 

No word yet on if the show will be picked up for another season, such as the writers intended and the massive audience want, yet the question as to why Netflix would cancel such a popular show and not try and renegotiate their deals is still baffling to many who come upon it. This is especially unsettling when mentioning shows that have been renewed for a second season like “Sex Education” and “You” because the lack of consistency on the sight right now could lead to a last minute cancellation of a much beloved show like “Anne With an E” had. 

As said before, with the normalization of streaming sites in today’s society, Netflix canceling shows that have such a cult following and high ratings seems almost ignorant in the direction the platform should be going. Though change may need to be done to the sight for more efficiency and access to shows, the shows in which they choose to alter must be selected more carefully. Otherwise, the shows may be gone, but their audiences will be gone as well.