Even though Netflix cut its losses, if there were any, by canceling the sci-fi series The Boroughs, the streamer seems to be going all in on another big-budget project. The project in question returned with a highly anticipated second season this week, following a debut season that divided audiences and critics in 2024. Instead of making fans wait another two years between seasons, Netflix produced the second and third installments of the show back-to-back. What this probably means is that the show’s next installment will debut later this year. This is also a strategy that streamers employ when they want to wrap things up quickly, or when they don’t want the cast to age too rapidly between installments. Alternatively, they might greenlight a feature-length climactic chapter to tie up the loose ends. All of this is to say that The Boroughs being canceled after a single well-reviewed and highly-watched season is irregular.
On the other hand, it’s still unclear if Netflix’s big-budget fantasy bet has paid off fully. The show we’re talking about is Avatar: The Last Airbender, which returned with a second season this week and immediately jumped ahead of the streamer’s holdover hits on the viewership charts. However, the show doesn’t seem to have registered an improvement as far as the critical response is concerned. The first season holds a 62% score on the aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, while the second season has settled at a marginally higher 67%.
Netflix’s Live-Action Anime Remakes Have Been Hit-Or-Miss
This doesn’t exactly move the needle for the streamer as it builds toward the third (and potentially final) season. Avatar: The Last Airbender is the live-action remake of the anime original, which aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons from 2005 to 2008. Netflix has also produced live-action remakes of Cowboy Bebop, which ended up being canceled after one season, and One Piece, which has aired two successful seasons so far. According to FlixPatrol, the second season of Avatar: The Last Airbender debuted at the number two spot on the global and domestic Netflix viewership charts, behind the holdover hit I Will Find You. Netflix will release official numbers next week, while Nielsen will provide a more in-depth look at how the show performed in around a month. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
- Release Date
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February 22, 2024
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Albert Kim
