Netflix has pulled the plug on three of its adult animated series — Zack Snyder’s Norse saga Twilight of the Gods, the adaptation Exploding Kittens and the animated reboot Good Times — all after just one season, intensifying scrutiny of the streamer’s approach to original animation. All three shows debuted in 2024 and will not return for second seasons despite earlier discussions or hopes for renewals.
The three shows axed
The most high‑profile casualty is Twilight of the Gods, created by Zack Snyder with Jay Oliva and Eric Carrasco, a violent, mythology‑driven saga that ended its first season on a major cliffhanger but still failed to secure a renewal. Industry reports indicate Netflix’s decision was driven primarily by global viewership data, with the series not meeting internal performance benchmarks despite its marquee creator and heavy marketing push.
Exploding Kittens, based on the hugely popular card game, premiered in July 2024 as an off‑beat suburban comedy in which God and the Devil inhabit cat bodies and wage a cosmic rivalry. The series earned generally positive or “fresh” critical notices, but that reception did not translate into the sustained audience numbers needed for a second season on the platform.
The third cancellation, Good Times, reimagined the classic Norman Lear sitcom as an adult animated show following a new generation of the Evans family in a Chicago housing project. The reboot quickly became embroiled in controversy, drawing a wave of negative reviews and accusations that it leaned into stereotypes, and it ultimately landed near the bottom of review aggregators — a drag on its prospects from the outset.
Why Netflix walked away
In each case, the shows had gone more than a year without a renewal announcement, a familiar red flag in the Netflix ecosystem where early performance often determines a title’s fate. What’s on Netflix, which first detailed the trio of cancellations, reported that internal viewership thresholds simply were not met, even for projects that had been in early development for sophomore seasons.
The decisions underscore a broader pattern in Netflix’s handling of animation: critical acclaim or strong branding no longer guarantees longevity if completion rates and global reach are soft. Industry analysts note that adult animated series are particularly vulnerable because they tend to be more niche, expensive to produce and slower to build word‑of‑mouth than live‑action hits.
Fallout for creators and fans
For Zack Snyder, the end of Twilight of the Gods adds to an increasingly complicated relationship with Netflix, where other planned expansions of his Army of the Dead and Rebel Moon universes have also stalled or been scaled back. Fans of the series have expressed frustration that a heavily serialized story was left unresolved, with no obvious path for continuation elsewhere given Netflix’s ownership of the project.
Supporters of Exploding Kittens and Good Times have reacted more quietly but point to the cancellations as further evidence that niche or experimental animation struggles to survive beyond a first season on major streamers. For creators, the pattern raises strategic questions about whether to pitch ambitious adult animation to Netflix, or to seek partners willing to tolerate slower audience growth in exchange for creative continuity.
What’s next for Netflix animation
Despite the cuts, Netflix is not retreating from animation; rather, it appears to be concentrating resources on franchises and shows with clearer breakout potential. The platform has new seasons coming for titles like Devil May Cry, Tomb Raider, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Blue Eye Samurai, alongside new projects such as Living the Dream and the animated Stranger Things: Tales from ’85.
Executives are betting that recognizable IPs, spin‑offs of established hits and tightly targeted genre fare will deliver better returns than riskier one‑off experiments like Twilight of the Gods, Exploding Kittens and Good Times. For viewers, the immediate impact is a shrinking slate of original adult animated oddities — and a reminder that in the streaming economy, even buzzy projects can be one‑season stories.
