Despite being lauded as one of the most inventive and unique sci-fi series on television today, Sense8 was axed by Netflix several days ago.
The news travelled fast, with both hardcore fans and LGBT groups up in arms over its cancellation. However, despite a strong campaign to bring the series back from the brink, it looks like Sense8 is well and truly cancelled. In an odd move, however, Netflix issued a statement on Facebook that effectively apologised for its cancelling of the show.
"We’ve seen the petitions. We’ve read the messages. We know you want to #RenewSense8, and we wish we could #BringBackSense8 for you. The reason we've taken so long to get back to you is because we've thought long and hard here at Netflix to try to make it work but unfortunately we can't. Thank you for watching and hope you'll stay close with your cluster around the world."
Although Netflix doesn't release viewing figures or ratings for its shows, Sense8 evidently has a fervent fanbase that wants to see it to go for a third season. However, the real reason may not be ratings, but cost.
Netflix also axed Baz Luhrman's The Get-Down around the same time it dropped Sense8, and both have something in common - they're insanely expensive to make. Sense8 is rumoured to have cost around $8,000,000 per episode whilst The Get-Down costs $12,000,000 per episode - making them two of the most expensive TV shows ever made, and certainly the most expensive in Netflix's original stable.
Although the Wachowskis haven't made any public comments about Sense8's cancellation, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has been arguing for more cancellations - not as a cost-saving measure, but as a means for finding the best stories. "Our hit ratio is way too high right now... so, we’ve canceled very few shows … I’m always pushing the content team: We have to take more risk; you have to try more crazy things. Because we should have a higher cancel rate overall."
Were you a fan of Sense8? What did you make of its cancellation? Let us know in the comments!
