Netflix subscribers with a soft spot for the fantasy genre have been conditioned to live in a constant state of fear, concerns that have proven to be consistently well-founded. Despite winning rave reviews and scoring strong viewership numbers out of the gate, Half Bad: The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself has become the latest to bite the dust after a single season.
Recommended VideosAdapted from the novel by Sally Green, the first eight (and ultimately only) episodes dropped on October 28, and the show proved popular enough to rank as one of the platform’s Top 10 most-watched originals during its first seven days on the platform, while respective Rotten Tomatoes scores of 93 and 92 percent from audiences underlined its instant favorite status.
The story finds the illegitimate son of the world’s most dangerous witch being targeted for extinction when he turns 16, after it’s decided there’s too great of a risk that he’ll end up following in the footsteps of his family. The potential was there for Half Bad to run for years, but it’s ended up as the latest smash hit Netflix original to be tossed onto the scrapheap.
While viewers have grown accustomed to seeing shows they’ve heavily invested in having their legs cut right out from underneath, the fact people aren’t entirely surprised by the news doesn’t mean they’re not furious about it.
fuck you netflix. fuck you and your fucking decision. the bastard son & the devil himself was so good but you went with no promo whatsoever and ditched the project ? what were you scared of ?
— lenny (@moonchansus) December 9, 2022NOOOOOOOO the bastard son & the devil himself got cancelled 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/gwd3BE2fQU
— kj (@beverlykatzgf) December 9, 2022I'M SO MAD about the bastard son & the devil himself because it was SO DAMN GOOD and had 0 promo as netflix does with their only good shows and i wanted more FUCK
— marianne 🌺 (@paradisemono) December 9, 2022
they already fucking cancelled the bastard son & the devil himself pic.twitter.com/rjmzz5Xkw0
— mattie (@sebuckstiann) December 9, 2022i can't believe they canceled the bastard son & the devil himself
like wtf it was so good!! fu Netflix
@netflix cancelling half bad: the bastard son & the devil himself?! You can’t be serious. One of the best shows you have on your platform. Disappointed.
— Liesel Galletly (@LieselGalletly) December 10, 2022The mighty algorithm has determined that cracking the global Top 10 and being lavished in near-universal praise isn’t enough to warrant a second season of The Bastard Son & the Devil Himself, but one of the most obvious knock-on effects is that those crossing their fingers in the hope of Warrior Nun being renewed may have just broken out in a colder sweat than usual.
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