Netflix hit The Brother’s Sun has been axed in a devastating blow to fans, despite an initial proclamation of great popularity.
The action comedy-drama premiered on January 4 and starred Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Justin Chien (Continuum), Sam Song Li (Take the Night) and Joon Lee (Geno! You Good?). It joins 2017 thriller-drama Gypsy (starring Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup) as one of the quickest TV show cancellations in Netflix history.
The eight episodes follow the seemingly ordinary life of the Sun family in peaceful California, until it is revealed the family is linked to Taipei’s most renowned gangsters. Charles Sun (Chien), an established killer, travels to America to protect his mother (Yeoh) after his father is shot by an unknown assassin. Despite a rating of 91% from general audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, this interesting premise was not enough to reel in enough viewers for a second season.
The Brothers Sun amassed over 50 million hours streamed during its second week, but this was ultimately the show’s peak. Subsequently, the hours streamed ebbed and the weak performance meant it was not going to survive. The series becomes another addition to the expanding collection of discontinued shows within Netflix’s repertoire. This includes other one-season wonders such as Sky High: A series and Snowflake Mountain.
The news surprised not only viewers but also led to a post on Instagram by Oscar-winning Yeoh, stating that she is “heartbroken” and “finding it hard to understand why.” It brings to light an already-open can of worms regarding the fast-fashion nature of Netflix and their no qualms attitude to terminating certain shows. For some viewers, it seems that art is now perceived as content dependent upon views, evoking nostalgia for the days when one was not worried that their favourite show would be prematurely abandoned.
Despite viewer disappointment at Netflix disposing of The Brothers Sun, the rule of thumb for retaining a recurring season is pretty simple in the eyes of metrics and profit. With the sun setting on Brad Falchuk and Byron Wu’s co-creation, it is a daunting reminder for creatives that no one is safe on the streaming service.
The Brothers Sun season one is still available to watch on Netflix.
Words by Anna Farrer
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