Billed as the perfect new show for fans of Heartstopper and Sex Education, Netflix's teen drama Everything Now has a respectable 82% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and 90% from viewers – but despite reports that a writer's room was already in place for season two, the show has been cancelled by Netflix.
The news came in an interview with one of the show's stars, Dylan Brady, on FilmUpdates. According to Brady, the show didn't do the numbers Netflix was hoping for. "We had some great ideas," Brady said. "But we are at the mercy of the algorithm, I’m afraid."
Looking at Netflix's data for its most-watched shows, Everything Now did make it into the top 10 series for a week but its 1.3 million views is overshadowed by the likes of Sex Education season four, which was in the 10 most popular shows for six weeks with 13.4 million weekly views at one point. Fans of the show are devastated.
everything now being canceled shouldn’t be shocking since there’s been no news on it in ages, but i’m actually so upset about thisApril 5, 2024
Why everything's over for Everything Now
Brady also had some thoughts about numbers-driven programming, saying that "historically, TV has worked in one way... a slow, consistent growth over several seasons as opposed to this kind of mentality we see now where it's like, 'if it doesn't get 16 million views in the first 28 days, it's not worth anyone's while".
There are countless examples of the former: from Cheers in the 1980s to more recent hits such as Arrested Development, Schitt's Creek and of course, Breaking Bad, TV history is full of shows that took a while to find their audiences. And as Brady says: "It’s really disheartening to see because I think there’s also a lot of people who refuse to invest in a new show with the knowledge that it might just end up getting cancelled."
It's a shame that Everything Now won't get a second season, but the first season is very much worth your time. Mashable called it "brilliant", praising "its raw, authentic, and surprisingly hilarious portrayal of the pitfalls and triumphs of teen life among serious mental health themes", while Decider gave it a 'Stream It' rating and said that "Everything Now is a charming teen dramedy with some serious emotional issues underpinning the adventures of a teen just wanting to do teen stuff".
Season one of Everything Now is still available on Netflix.
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