Netflix is known for many things: launching the O.G. streaming service app, pioneering a recommendations algorithm, rescuing network TV shows, making bad movies, that thudding kerplunk sound at the beginning of every movie or TV episode they insist is spelled “TUDUM.” One thing the streaming service has become notorious for in recent years is its penchant for killing even well-liked new TV shows before they’ve made it beyond two or three seasons.
Plenty of TV has succumbed to the Netflix curse. Beloved shows like Daredevil, Sense8, and Mindhunter have gotten the same treatment as stinkers like Jupiter’s Legacy, Fate: The Winx Saga, and the Cowboy Bebop remake. The only thing all of these shows share is they were cancelled early on in their runs compared to other shows on similar platforms or networks of the same caliber. A mediocre sci-fi series that would have run for five seasons somewhere like The CW doesn’t stand a chance on algorithm-driven Netflix, where even a placement in the Top 10 shows on the entire service isn’t enough to guarantee a second-season renewal.
Still, there are plenty of Netflix series that have persisted past that mark, proving that it is indeed possible to be a long-running successful TV show on Netflix. Many of these are the early series made when Netflix was still establishing its own original programming, but there are still a few more recent shows that have broken through and cemented themselves in the pop culture landscape. What does it take for a show to have a long life on a platform like Netflix? Maybe the answer lies in our picks below.
10 TV Shows That Survived Netflix’s Three-Season Curse
The three-season Netflix curse couldn’t catch these long-running shows.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
READ MORE: 10 Great Netflix Series You Never Watched
10 TV Shows That Were Rescued by Netflix
A lot of shows would have been canceled a lot earlier if not for Netflix.
Gallery Credit: Emma Stefansky
