Despite its outstanding creativity and phenomenally talented cast Netflix has canceled “The OA”. The show debuted on the streaming platform in 2016 with an intriguing and captivatingly told story. A missing woman, who was previously blind, is returned home and proceeds to search for a way back to her captor for mind-bending reasons. Each episode was beautiful and crisp, full of new and different twists that made it entirely binge-able. After an 8 episode first season, the show was renewed and returned in 2019 with a completely different look. The second season took on a film noir element that was no less stunning or enthralling but may have left some fans questioning if it was the same show. The OA was intended to be a 5 season story. Creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij aimed to tell the tale over a long period of time. Viewers that were a bit confuddled by the second season could have latched onto the story more in a new season that answered more questions. The second season was intended to create more curiosity around interdimensional knowledge and connection. The OA needs another season to become the cult hit it could be. Netflix did not release information on why the show was canceled, some have speculated that it was a lack of viewership. Streaming platforms, as with most media outlets, tend to put their money behind the sure win that will draw in new audiences and create more revenue –that’s fair– but with how much fans of the show can’t stop talking about it, they are sure to draw in more new subscribers as seasons progress. The premature cancelation is a loss not just for fans but for Netflix which could have benefited from The OA’s interesting subject matter and a viewer base more likely to draw in others by word of mouth. Netflix should leave the bulk of the new subscriber responsibility to its one-off comedy specials and allow fans of their series more than two seasons to enjoy amazing creations like The OA.
*All 16 parts of The OA are streaming on Netflix and fans are trying to save the show with the twitter hashtag #SaveTheOA*
Tags: Brit Marling, Netflix, The OA, Zal Batmanglij
