Netflix has stuck a fork in Archive 81. Deadline first reported that Netflix had decided to cancel the series about two months after its premiere on the streaming service in January. While Netflix certainly has a reputation for ending shows far too soon, Archive 81 getting the boot comes as a surprise. The series had been well-received by viewers and had pulled in fairly high viewership, cracking the No. 1 spot on Netflix’s most-watched titles at one point. But perhaps there still just weren’t enough people watching to justify its budget.
In Archive 81, which is based on the horror podcast, "archivist Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie) takes a job restoring damaged videotapes and gets pulled into the vortex of a mystery involving the missing director, Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi), and a demonic cult. As Dan is drawn into Melody’s story, he becomes convinced he can save her from the terrifying end she met 25 years ago."
James Wan's Atomic Monster produced the series. Rebecca Sonnenshine served as writer, showrunner, and executive producer. Rebecca Thomas (Stranger Things) also directed half of the show's episodes and exec produced alongside Sonnenshine and writer Paul Harris Boardman, as well as Wan and Michael Clear for Atomic Monster. Rob Hackett co-exec produced.
"It’s very different from the podcast in many ways,” Sonnenshine said of the series adaptation, per TheWrap. “But it also hopefully very much captures the spirit of it and follows a general same kind of story. But the thing that we wanted to do was really establish these two characters, Dan and Melody, as characters that had a drive and a quest that they were on that would parallel each other, and that’s sort of where we started.”
Where Would Season 2 of Archive 81 Have Gone?
While Netflix is putting an end to Archive 81 after just one season, it was not designed to be a limited series. Sonnenshine also spoke about how the series was developed with plans to move forward with another season to help expand the story. The showrunner also revealed that preliminary planning had begun on season 2 with the creative team hopeful for a renewal, though we now know that's ultimately not what happened.
“It wasn’t conceived as a one-season show, I think there are more stories to tell,” Sonnenshine explained. “I think we end on a good cliffhanger that needs to be addressed, and we introduce a lot of characters that surround Dan and Melody that have very rich and interesting lives to explore further. So yeah, we hope to keep going.”
Many would notice that the news of Netflix putting an end to another show, especially after just one or two seasons, is not new. Just recently, Netflix axed another young series, The Baby-Sitters Club, after a two-season run. This followed the streamer controversially canceling the live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop shortly after its premiere last year. Other cancelations at Netflix in recent months include Cooking with Paris after one season and both Gentefied and Another Life after two-season runs.
The one and only season of Archive 81 is streaming on Netflix.