Netflix’s 5-Part Psychological Thriller Series Is So Good, It Was Renewed For 4 Seasons After It Got Canceled


Netflix‘s psychological thriller series that became a global hit nearly had a completely different fate, but it was so good that, despite the show having been canceled after one season, it managed to come back for another four seasons. The rule of thumb in the streaming age is that pretty much every show is not safe. Follow that, and you will never be disappointed.

Many Netflix shows were canceled way too soon, and that rings true for other streaming services, networks, and even cable. That said, over the last decade, we have seen a huge influx of promising shows that did not make it past their first season. Looking at Netflix’s Original series, Dead Boy Detectives, I Am Not Okay With This, 1899, and more are of note.

The streaming service even committed the disappointing practice of reversing an announced renewal, axing the dystopian thriller The Society after initially renewing it for season 2. That said, not all is bad when it comes to Netflix’s approach to renewing shows. In fact, it was the streamer that saved a generational thriller series after another platform reversed its season 2 renewal.



















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01

Squid Game shattered records on launch in 2021, becoming Netflix’s biggest-ever series debut. Hwang Dong-hyuk’s South Korean thriller centres on a desperate gambler named Seong Gi-hun. What is his player number?




✓ Correct! Gi-hun is Player 456 — the last number drawn. Kang Sae-byeok (the North Korean defector) is 067, Cho Sang-woo (the Stanford-educated finance crook) is 218, and the mysterious elderly Oh Il-nam is 001. Squid Game became Netflix’s first show to hit #1 in every country it launched in, amassing over 1.6 billion hours watched in its first month alone.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is 456. Gi-hun’s number is the very last of the 456 players. 067 is Sae-byeok the defector, 218 is Sang-woo the Stanford grad, and 001 is the mysterious old man Oh Il-nam whose identity becomes the series’ biggest reveal. Squid Game became Netflix’s most-watched launch ever, hitting #1 in 94 countries.

02

The Tim Burton-directed Addams Family spin-off set at Nevermore Academy became Netflix’s second-biggest English-language debut in 2022 and launched a TikTok dance craze. Which young actress plays the deadpan title character?




✓ Correct! Jenna Ortega — a Disney Channel graduate and indie-horror favourite (X, Scream VI) — took the role Christina Ricci made iconic in the 1990s films and made it entirely her own. Her now-famous cello-accompanied dance scene became an overnight TikTok phenomenon, and her performance earned Wednesday two Emmy nominations despite airing mid-season.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Jenna Ortega. Millie Bobby Brown is Eleven on Stranger Things, Sadie Sink plays Max Mayfield (also Stranger Things), and Maya Hawke plays Robin. Ortega’s deadpan Wednesday Addams — and her viral cello-dance scene — turned the show into a global phenomenon in late 2022.

03

In 2013, Netflix released a dark political thriller starring Kevin Spacey as a ruthless congressman breaking the fourth wall. It became the first major streaming original to land a Primetime Emmy nomination and effectively invented prestige streaming TV. Which show was it?




✓ Correct! House of Cards — adapted by Beau Willimon from the 1990 BBC series — became Netflix’s first prestige original and proved a streaming service could go toe-to-toe with HBO. Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood and his asides to camera defined early streaming TV. Orange Is the New Black followed months later in July 2013 and became Netflix’s longest-running original at the time.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is House of Cards (February 2013). Orange Is the New Black launched five months later (July 2013), Arrested Development’s Netflix revival came in May 2013, and Hemlock Grove was a horror effort the same spring. House of Cards was the flagship — the first streaming original to earn a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.

04

Peter Morgan’s The Crown famously recast its entire ensemble every two seasons to age the royal family. After Claire Foy played Queen Elizabeth II in seasons 1-2, which Oscar-winning actress took the crown for seasons 3-4?




✓ Correct! Olivia Colman — fresh off her Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite — played the Queen across seasons 3 and 4, covering the late 1960s through the early Thatcher years. Imelda Staunton took over for seasons 5-6, Helena Bonham Carter played Princess Margaret in seasons 3-4, and Gillian Anderson stole the show as Margaret Thatcher in season 4.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Olivia Colman. Imelda Staunton took over for the final two seasons (5-6). Helena Bonham Carter played the chain-smoking Princess Margaret during seasons 3-4 alongside Colman. Gillian Anderson delivered an Emmy-winning Margaret Thatcher in season 4. Colman anchored the show’s middle era fresh off her 2019 Oscar win.

05

The Duffer Brothers’ 1980s nostalgia juggernaut sees Eleven and the gang battle inter-dimensional horrors from a portal beneath the town’s Hawkins National Laboratory. In which fictional US town and state is the series set?




✓ Correct! Hawkins, Indiana — a fictional Midwestern small town that became one of TV’s most iconic settings. The Duffer Brothers chose Indiana for its unassuming, ordinary-America vibe, making the supernatural chaos feel more jarring. Derry is Stephen King’s It setting, Hill Valley is from Back to the Future, and Twin Peaks is David Lynch’s famous town.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Hawkins, Indiana. Derry, Maine is the fictional town from Stephen King’s It. Hill Valley is Marty McFly’s home in Back to the Future. Twin Peaks, Washington is David Lynch’s famous fictional town. Hawkins is The Duffer Brothers’ deliberately ordinary Midwestern setting — the flat, unassuming backdrop that makes Vecna’s horrors hit harder.

06

Netflix’s Regency romance juggernaut — based on Julia Quinn’s novels and famous for its colour-blind casting, string-quartet pop covers, and narrated gossip column — is produced by which prolific showrunner’s production banner?




✓ Correct! Shonda Rhimes — the creator of Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal — produces Bridgerton through her Shondaland banner as the first major fruit of her massive 2017 Netflix deal. Chris Van Dusen created the show, but Shondaland’s signature ensemble-romance DNA is all over it. Julian Fellowes did Downton Abbey, Ryan Murphy did Monster/Dahmer, and Jenji Kohan did Orange Is the New Black.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Shonda Rhimes (Shondaland). Ryan Murphy produces true-crime anthologies like Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. Julian Fellowes is the Downton Abbey/Gilded Age creator — a different period drama entirely. Jenji Kohan is behind Orange Is the New Black and Weeds. Bridgerton was the first big payoff of Rhimes’ nine-figure Netflix deal.

07

La Casa de Papel (Money Heist) became a global phenomenon on Netflix after a modest Spanish TV debut — partly thanks to its gang’s instantly recognisable red jumpsuits paired with a mask of which famous figure?




✓ Correct! The Salvador Dalí mask — with its upturned moustache — became the show’s defining visual alongside the red jumpsuits, a nod to Spanish artistic rebellion and surrealist individuality. It inspired protest iconography worldwide, from Lebanon to France. The original Antena 3 version underperformed; Netflix acquired it in 2017, re-edited it, and turned it into a global sensation.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Salvador Dalí. Guy Fawkes is the V for Vendetta mask that Anonymous adopted. Che Guevara is a common revolutionary image but not the heist crew’s mask. Picasso is a frequent wrong answer given he’s the more globally-known Spanish artist — but the Dalí mask, with its iconic moustache, is the one fused forever with Money Heist’s red jumpsuits.

08

Netflix’s 2020 limited series about a Cold War-era chess prodigy named Beth Harmon caused a global surge in chess-set sales and was one of the streamer’s most-watched shows that year. Who played Beth?




✓ Correct! Anya Taylor-Joy — already a cult favourite from The Witch and Emma — broke out globally as Beth Harmon, winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. The Queen’s Gambit pulled 62 million households in its first 28 days and caused such a chess-boom that Chess.com and retailers ran out of sets. It also made Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel a surprise bestseller almost 40 years later.

✗ Eliminated! The answer is Anya Taylor-Joy. Florence Pugh (Midsommar, Oppenheimer), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), and Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People, Where the Crawdads Sing) are all frequent competitors in similar roles. Taylor-Joy’s Beth Harmon earned her a Golden Globe, a SAG Award, and turned Walter Tevis’s 1983 novel into a sudden bestseller.

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That psychological thriller series was none other than You, starring Penn Badgley as the serial killer Joe Goldberg. The show has since gone on to become one of Netflix’s most popular series of the last decade, earning global fame. However, its story could have been entirely different, as You was initially canceled after one season despite being such an enthralling thriller series.

Netflix’s You Survived An Early Cancellation

You eventually became known to global audiences as a Netflix Original series, but it did not start that way, as Netflix bought the show’s rights after it had already aired. You season 1 was released on September 9, 2018, on Lifetime. The cable channel was so confident that it had a major hit on its hands that the thriller series based on Caroline Kepnes’ novels was renewed for season 2 that July, months before season 1 aired. However, You did not end up having the high viewership Lifetime expected, so the psychological thriller series was canceled in December 2018.

Netflix then swooped in, aired the first season, which became a global streaming sensation, and would then go on to consistently renew the series for more seasons until You season 5, which was released on Netflix on April 24, 2025, marked a natural ending point for the show. All the pieces were there for You to be a major hit, with a solid foundation in Kepnes’ series of novels, a talented ensemble led by Badgley, experienced producers like the Arrowverse’s Greg Berlanti, and more. In the end, You just needed the eyeballs Netflix could provide as a global streaming giant.

Why Netflix’s You Going On To Have 5 Seasons Was The Perfect Outcome

Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg looking surprised in a scene from You

Netflix saving You was the perfect outcome, and it makes absolute sense that it did. After all, You was simply so good that it would have been tragic if the show stayed canceled after just one season, and its first batch of episodes was so well-received that commissioning another four seasons was the only possible path for Netflix. You season 1 stands at a near-perfect 94% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes and a stellar 83% audience score. That shows that while You might not have had high viewership numbers on Lifetime, everyone who was watching the show loved the thriller.


You Season 5-1


You Season 5 Review: Joe Goldberg’s Story Comes Full Circle In A Slow-To-Start Yet Juicy Season That Ends On A Satisfying Note For The Series

You’s final season has enough reflection and twists to keep us engaged, even as I became frustrated with some of the characters’ actions.

Netflix then took that strong foundation, recognizing what it could lead to, and subsequently renewed it for four more seasons. In You, Penn Badgley’s performance as Joe Goldberg is simply magnetic, with the show being a unique thriller where audiences are taken inside the mind of a twisted serial killer who does not see himself as the villain, and thus viewers become conflicted about rooting for him or not. This fresh show with excellent twists deserved to go on for as long as it did, and had Netflix not saved You, it would have been a tragic loss for thriller fans.


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Release Date

2018 – 2025-00-00

Showrunner

Sera Gamble, Greg Berlanti

Directors

Marcos Siega, Lee Toland Krieger, Cherie Nowlan, DeMane Davis, Kellie Cyrus, Marta Cunningham, Martha Mitchell, Victoria Mahoney, Erin Feeley

Writers

Justin W. Lo

  • Headshot of Penn Badgley In The YOU Premiere at Zengo Restaurant

    Penn Badgley

    Joe Goldberg

  • Headshot Of Elizabeth Lail

    Elizabeth Lail

    Guinevere Beck




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