Series fans don’t have it easy right now. There is a growing feeling among streaming providers in particular that a particularly large number of formats are currently ending prematurely, so that frustration is spreading in many places and some people are generally unwilling to even start a new series when there is a risk of cancellation is so ubiquitous, even in seemingly successful formats.
Netflix in particular has caused a stir by shutting down several popular formats, most recently “1899” and “Fate: The Winx Saga”, not least because these two have arguably decent viewing hours (the benchmark after Netflix in the audience which quantifies the success of its formats). In the end, however, the success was apparently not enough to continue with the complex and expensive productions, especially since renewals often determine how many people actually watched a series season to the end.
In addition, there is the general problem of rising costs with stagnant or even slightly falling subscriber numbers, which many streaming providers are currently struggling with. Netflix competitor Disney + is also not immune to this and can therefore not adhere to all original formats. Now it’s two in one fell swoop: The sports seriesMighty Ducks: Game Changers” And “great shot‘ are now both canceled after their second season. The American trade journals report this unanimously.
* / “Great shot”*
The end was in sight
The decision to pull the plug on the “Mighty Ducks” and “Big Shot” series comes less as a surprise than the untimely end of the said Netflix shows. Despite good reviews, both series were apparently not huge hits (even though, as is often the case with streaming, no specific ratings were communicated). That they even got the green light for second seasons must at least according to the may have been two of the decisions that cost former Disney entertainment executive Peter Rice his job.
In the case of Mighty Ducks, there were also creative differences that led to the departure of protagonist Emilio Estevez after Season 1, reprising his role as youth hockey coach Gordon Bombay from the 1990s Mighty Ducks films. Meanwhile, both seasons of “Big Shot” center on Full House star John Stamos’ Marvyn Korn, a disgraced college basketball coach who now takes on a high school girls’ team under his wing.
It doesn’t matter if it’s an expected or unexpected cancellation, a huge hit or an insider tip: for the fans who actually have a series, such a step is of course always a big disappointment. After all, the two seasons of “Mighty Ducks: Game Changers” and “Big Shot” will continue to be available for streaming on Disney+.