Seacia Pavao/Netflix
What Happened to Netflix’s ‘The Society’? Why the Show Was Canceled After 1 Season
Fans were devastated after The Society was canceled, but what actually happened to the Netflix series? Initially, the show had been renewed for a second season following its May 2019 premiere, but was eventually canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Keep reading for more details on the show’s cancellation.
What Was ‘The Society’ About?
Starring Kathryn Newton and Olivia DeJonge, among others, the show followed “a group of teenagers who are mysteriously transported to a facsimile of their wealthy New England town, left without any trace of their parents,” according to Netflix’s official logline.
As they struggle to figure out what has happened to them and how to get home, they must establish order and form alliances if they want to survive,” the description continued.
Why Was ‘The Society’ Canceled After Season 1?
“We’ve made the difficult decision not to move forward with second seasons of The Society and I Am Not Okay With This,” the streaming service shared in a statement to Deadline in August 2020. “We’re disappointed to have to make these decisions due to circumstances created by COVID, and we are grateful to these creators … and all the writers, casts and crews who worked tirelessly to make these shows for our members around the world.”
The show’s creator, Christopher Keyser, was quick to react to the news at the time.
“We spent the last bunch of months getting ready to go back again, dealing with all the COVID protocols,” he told Variety. “And then I got a call from Netflix saying, ‘We have made this decision.’ It was obviously pretty upsetting and abrupt.”
What Was Season 2 of ‘The Society’ Going to Be About?
While Christopher told Variety that it was “a little too soon” for him to reveal any possible season 2 details, he did say that the planned second season would have followed “the establishment of what we called the ‘outpost,’ and the eventual conflict between the outpost and the town over control.”
Some of the other established storylines were set to be explored as well. While the cancellation upset fans and the show’s stars, no other streaming service or network picked up the series.
“It’s only been a day, so I haven’t even thought about it in a meaningful way,” Christopher added about saving the show at the time. “Obviously, no one wants to see the story they’re writing end, and I would like the characters not to end up as the children of New Ham — to have disappeared suddenly, abruptly, never to be seen again. But I’m not entirely in control of that.”
