By all conventional logic,Space Forceshould’ve been a hit for Netflix. It had some of the biggest stars in TV comedy (Steve Carrell, Ben Schwartz, Lisa Kudrow), a topic rife with potential (a satirical look at Trump’s much-maligned ‘Space Force’), and the guiding hand of Greg Daniels, thebeloved creator of NBC’sThe Office. Moreover, Netflix clearly had high hopes for the show, giftingSpace Forcea ‘series order’ straight away and setting a record for how much they were paying Carrell for his involvement ($1m an episode – more than they’ve ever paid for talent on any of their series).
But, when the show aired on May 29, the results were underwhelming. Viewers discovered that, despite Carrell and Daniel’s involvement,Space Forcewas nothing likeThe Office: it wasn’t as funny, heart-warming, or relatable as that hit series. Indeed, critics were also lukewarm on the end result, with the show attaining a disappointing 35%rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Across the board,Space Forcewas clearly a let-down. With the streaming service becoming increasingly ruthless in its approach to cancelling shows in recent years, many thought that this failure-to-launch may be the next series to get the chop.
RELATED:The Shows Netflix Might Cancel Next
Yet Netflix announcedthe show would be getting a second season nonetheless, with filming set to begin early next year. SinceNetflix bases its decision to renew or not on viewer dataand not critical reception, this renewal isn’t a complete surprise. After all, they made four seasons of13 Reasons Why,so why notSpace Force? But, hidden behind this renewal announcement were details of a massive shake-up of the show, indicating that Netflix’s decision to renew may not have been completely cut and dry.
Indeed, for one thing, the show is said to be going under “a large creative revamp”. Norm Hiscock, a veteran comedy writer forshows likeBrooklyn Nine-NineandParks and Recreation, will be joining Daniels as co-showrunner, and a new team of writers will be brought in for the second season. It would appear that Netflix wasn’t fully sold on the tone and delivery ofSpace Forceseason one, and they’re hoping a revamp will allow the series to evolve and find a new groove (like what happened withThe OfficeandParks and Recreation). Whilst this practice isn’t completely unheard of in the world of cable television, it’s definitely unlike Netflix’s usual behavior –Tuca and Bertie, for example, wasn’t given a second chance.
Alternatively, Netflix seems to be hedging its bets a lot more with this second season. The show’s production will be moving from the sunny-but-expensive Los Angeles to the cold-but-cheap Vancouver, in a bid to reduce the show’s budget. Equally, it’s been predicted there will be fewer big-name cameos (such as Jane Lynch and Noah Emmerich in season one) and less room for special effects, such as a rocket launch. This practice of greatly reducing the budget for a show’s second season is vintage Netflix behavior, as is often seen immediately before the streaming service decides to cancel (just look atAltered Carbon).
So, what does this renewal mean? Does Netflix have faith inSpace Forceor not? The easy answer is “no one knows”, but it does suggest the streaming service is changing its usual strategy. Before, it all came down to whether a show was cheap enough to justify how many viewers it brought in – considering the bad press aroundSpace Forceand its massive price tag, it would seem the series would come out unfavorably.
Additionally, Netflix recently cancelled themoderately popular but acclaimed seriesGlow, stating that COVID made filming the show just too difficult – why isn’tSpace Forcesuffering the same fate? A more direct comparison is perhapsAway, another space-themed Netflix series that got the chop after a single season despite high viewership. This would all suggest that Netflix may be subtly changing how it approaches cancellations moving forward. By givingSpace Forceroom to grow and evolve and potentially get good, the service is breaking away from its rigorous practices of the recent past, showing leniency and patience. “You haven’t brought in X number of viewers in your first season? No worries – maybe a second one will help!”
There’s also a reasonable explanation for why this new strategy has emerged. Around a month ago, there was a reorganization of the executives at Netflix, with company stalwart Cindy Holland being replaced with Bela Bajaria. Holland, who had been at Netflix from the start and had helped craft its usual practices, was removed in favor of the up-and-comer Bajaria who apparently had “challenged a lot of the company’s hegemonic ideas”. Perhaps Bajaria is pushing the company to be more sparing with its cancellations, focusing on long-term growth over short-term profits? Because it’s Netflix, it’s difficult to say for certain, but one thing is clear:Space Forcegetting a second season suggests times are changing.
MORE:Netflix Could Fight US Government in Court Over Space Force Trademark
