Well, this one’s a true shocker.
Max has made the shocking decision to cancel Warrior.
The decision comes months after Warrior Season 3 wrapped on the streaming service.
Max rarely releases viewership statistics like many other streaming services, so it’s difficult to assess how well the show performed.
The only good news to come from the cancellation is that Netflix has picked up the rights to past episodes of the series.
Deadline first reported the news, revealing that the show is set to hit Netflix in February 2024.
If the show proves to be a success with the service’s subscribers, it could lead to additional seasons being produced.
Netflix has picked up many canceled shows in the past, including Cobra Kai, Longmire, and Manifest, so the company could be seen as a decent destination to get fresh episodes.
If the series does secure a reprieve at Netflix, it would mark its third U.S. home.
Warrior’s first two seasons aired on Cinemax, with fans left wondering where the show would go next when the cabler’s strategy moved away from original series.
Max stepped in to save the day and premiered Warrior Season 3 earlier this year to much fanfare.
As we’ve seen in the past, great buzz doesn’t always translate into good TV ratings.
“Warrior is a show that simply refuses to die. Through platform and regime changes, the writers, producers, cast, crew, and our stunt team continued to make something powerful, relevant, and wildly unique,” series creator Jonathan Tropper shared in a statement to Deadline of the decision.
“And now, thanks to Netflix, we’ve been given yet another lease on life, and I’m thrilled for everyone involved that millions more viewers around the world will discover it.”
Added executive producer and daughter of Bruce Lee, Shannon Lee:
“If anything can be said about Warrior, with Bruce Lee in our corner, our indomitable spirit is REAL!”
“And so, my wish is that the huge global Netflix audience LOVES Warrior and from that Love more goodness flows – in the form of greater recognition for our talented cast and crew who deserve all the things, in the form of passionate fandom for this relevant kick ass show and, if I dare to dream, in the form of an opportunity to continue our story for our amazing fans who, thanks to Netflix, will have grown in number and enthusiasm!”
Many TV shows don’t survive cancellation, but Warrior always seems to prevail, so we’ll need to wait on data from Netflix when the show touches down.
Netflix has a wealth of licensed content set to premiere in early 2024, including Lost and Prison Break.
The company found much success with Suits this year, signaling that only focusing on its own scripted originals is probably not the best foot forward.
The tricky part of bringing Warrior back will be getting the stars to align.
The cast have been released from their contracts, allowing them to move on to different jobs.
If the show does emerge as a success on Netflix, then negotiations could get underway to bring the cast back.
Warrior is a gritty, action-packed crime drama set during the brutal Tong Wars of San Francisco’s Chinatown in the late 19th century. It is based on the writings of martial arts legend Bruce Lee.
The impressive cast included Andrew Koji, Kieran Bew, Celine Buckens, Olivia Cheng, Dianne Doan, Dean Jagger, Langley Kirkwood, Maria-Elena Laas, Hoon Lee, Christian McKay, Dustin Nguyen, and Miranda Raison.
Chen Tang, Joe Taslim, Jason Tobin, Joanna Vanderham, Tom Weston-Jones, and Perry Yung rounded out the cast.
What are your thoughts on the cancellation?
Do you think the show will thrive on Netflix?
Hit the comments.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.
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